泰国却克里王朝九世蒲美蓬每国王在位超过70年，于2016年10月13日在曼谷驾崩，国王一生致力为泰国人民奋斗改善生活，倡导永续发展及行善，精神将会永存泰国民众的心中。
蒲美蓬国王是却克里王朝少数出生在海外的君主，年轻时多数旅居欧洲，而皇太后的家庭教育亦融合泰国文化价值，造就国王结合西方与泰国的生活方式，包括绘画、摄影、西乐，甚至是风帆等户外运动，都可见到国王的身影。
年轻时的国王，偕同诗丽吉皇后出访多国，而国王足迹也踏遍泰国各处，甚至交通中断的地方都可见到国王搭乘直升机前往探视，国王更结合科学知识，改善农民的生活，最著名的包括泰北地区的山地计划，鼓励农民改种草莓、花卉等经济作物， 成功将恶名昭彰的金三角罂粟毒品扫荡；亦结合科学技术，在东北依善地区改良土壤、进行人造雨等，泰国现在的国际粮仓地位，国王更是功不可没。
国王深知肩负的皇室责任，毕生致力改善泰国人民的生活，泰国6700万民众对于蒲美蓬国王的敬爱，更将持续传承不辍，即使国王出生在海外，对于泰国人民的热爱及付出，更将永存民众心中。
了解更多请参考以下泰国大使馆所提供的文章
King Bhumibol Adulyadej: Thailand’s International Monarch
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the “Father of the Nation” to the people of Thailand who passed away on 13 October 20 16, led a remarkable life filled with valuable achievements. His Majesty’s passing left an indelible influence not only on His people but also on the international community.
His Majesty was born in the United States in Cambridge, Massachusetts- being the only monarch born on US soil. Spending His formative years in Europe, mainly in Switzerland, His Majesty studied science and then politics before accedi ng to the throne in 1946. Despite growing up in the West, His Majesty was instilled by the Princess Mother, HRH Princess Srinakarindra, with the val ues and traditions of the Thai people. Thus, His Majesty’s background was a unique convergence of Western and Eastern cultures. This was reflected in His Majesty having a wider range of interests than other Thais of His generation, ranging from the a rts such as music, photography and painting, sports such as sailing- to scientific inventions and innovations. His Majesty King Bhumibol was a true “Renaissance Monarch” in every aspect.
His Majesty’s grandfather, King Chulalongkorn the Great, also known as King Rama V, had guided Thailand into the modern er a. The King enabled Thailand (or Siam as it was then known) to be the only country in Southeast Asia to not be struck by t he wave of colonization. King Rama V achieved this by learning tactics from the West and by travelling to Europe in 1897 in order to make Siam know n to the Western monarchs – to showcase them that Siam was a civilized nation and not a land of ‘barbarians’.
Early in His Reign, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej followed in the footsteps of His illustrious forebear. In less than a decade, from 1959 to 1967, His Majesty, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, visited 27 countries. He met with important leaders of the world, reaffirmed ties forged in Europe during the time of Rama V, addressed the US C ongress, and placed a small country like Thailand firmly on the international map. Apart from merely “showing the flag”, the trips were also opportunities for His Majesty to learn the best skills and pract ices from developed Western nations, which He would later utilize to the benefit of the Thai people.
After that period of international travel, His Majesty returned to Thailand and never travelled abroad again. When asked why, His Majesty responded that He wanted to understand Thailand better in order to help the Thai people. For the remainder of His Reign, His Majesty travelled to all the remote corners of Thailand, no matter how underdeveloped or difficult to reach, visited all of Thailand’s provinces, and met with local residents from all walks of life – farmers, fishermen, merchants, local administrators – to listen to their views and needs. His Majesty provided technical advice to government agencies in forming solutions to help the common people, bringing abou t a synergy between local traditions and modern methods. During all of His domestic travels, His Majesty was invariably accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and other Members of the Royal Family. From a young age, Members of the Thai Royal Family were instilled with Thai culture and values, including the responsibili ties to the Thai people. For this reason, They continue to work until this day to help support and improve the lives of Their subjects.
His Majesty consistently maintained that Thailand is inherently an agricultural country and should never abandon its roots – repeatedly emphasising that Thailand must be able to feed itself. His Majesty therefore attached a great deal of importance in helping agriculture flourish. He applied His knowledge in sciences, mainly acquired from His previous trips abroad, to create and support over 4,000 Roy al Development Projects. The Projects focused on increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of farming methods, using modern techniques such as cr op substitution, water management, reversing the effects of soil erosion, along with inventions and innovations such as ar tificial rainmaking, the Chaipattana Aerator and generating renewable energy from palm oil- many of which received patents domestically and abroad. Ultimately, this resulted in a significant improvement in the livelihood and welfare of the majority of Thailand’s farmers .
In this holistic approach to sustainable development, His Majesty was a visionary far beyond His time. Almost every priority that the world now focuses on in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), His Majesty had been advo cating for and practicing for many decades. His Majesty first outlined the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) in 1974, an approach that encourages people to live wi thin their means and not abuse natural resources in order to increase sustainability and create resilience to external cha llenges. Its core principles, giving importance to living a life of moderation and applying discipline and self-control, are at the heart of sustainable development- a cause that the world now views as a priority agenda. Over the course of more than 40 years, His Majesty’s philosophy continues to be ingrained in the minds of the Thai people, particularly following the hard lessons learned from the 1997 economic crisis. Currently Thailand continues to openly share its positive experiences and promote the philosophy with the international co mmunity.
The significance that His Majesty attached to agriculture has evolved Thailand into one of the world’s leading agricultura l powerhouses today. Now Thailand is not only able to feed itself; it also contributes immensely to the maintenance of global food security. Today, many of His Majesty’s inventions and innovations, such as artificial rainmaking, are increasingly being applied abr oad. Such remarkable achievements that have created a positive impact on a local and global scale have earned His Majesty the r ecognition and accolade of “Thailand’s Development King” by the United Nations and the international community. This is a title well-deserved for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in light of the incredible legacy He has left behind .
