Four days after the Thai military overthrew the elected Puea Thai-led government, King Bhumibol Adulyadej endorsed the coup, giving legitimacy to the unlawful intervention. Indeed, the royal endorsement will be crucial for implementing the junta's cast-iron policies to fully control politics.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej celebrated his 86th birthday yesterday, which was also Thailand's national day. This much-anticipated event came amid escalating political conflict between the Yingluck Shinawatra government backed by her fugitive brother, former prime minister Thaksin, and its opponents in the old establishment camp represented by the elitist opposition, the Democrat Party.