THAILAND: KING BHUMIBOL RESUMES A MORE VISIBLE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 000287 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, NSC FOR WALTON E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2030 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR TH SUBJECT: THAILAND: KING BHUMIBOL RESUMES A MORE VISIBLE ROLE - IN HIS HOSPITAL RECEPTION ROOM REF: A. BANGKOK 165 (RESHUFFLE UNFOLDS ACCORDING TO PLAN) ¶B. 09 BANGKOK 3025 (KING,S FRAIL HEALTH) ¶C. 09 BANGKOK 2488 (KING,S HOSPITALIZATION) BANGKOK 00000287 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: DCM James F. Entwistle, reasons 1.4 (b, d) SUMMARY AND COMMENT -------------- ¶1. (C) King Bhumibol Adulyadej has actively presided over three separate swearing-in ceremonies at Siriraj Hospital since mid-January, dispensing philosophic advice to ministers and judges in public and the Prime Minister in private. In addition to swearing-in the five new cabinet members on January 18 (REF A),King Bhumibol also administered the oath of office to two separate groups of judges on January 25 and February 1, delivering extemporaneous remarks -- which were later broadcast on TV -- both times. On the latter two occasions, he spoke at relative length (10 minutes),evenly, and in the typically Delphic and inscrutable style for which he has long been renowned. In the January 18 private session with PM Abhisit, the King purportedly discussed his concerns about application of lese majeste and directed Abhisit to implement changes after a careful review of current procedures. Despite these clear indications that the King is resuming a more active life in recent weeks, he remains hospitalized at Siriraj Hospital, where he has stayed since last September. ¶2. (S) Comment: The status of his ongoing physical recovery aside, the recent audiences are promising signs of King Bhumibol having re-engaged mentally after whispers that he was suffering from depression in addition to physical ailments like Parkinson's and pneumonia. His ability to deliver off the cuff comments to new ministers and judges were in marked contrast to more pained delivery of written remarks at his December 5 birthday audience and for New Year's. The lese majeste discussion with Abhisit in particular seems to indicate that Bhumibol is aware of the wider debate about the role of the monarchy, present and future, in Thailand. The real question at this stage remains: why does he continue to be hospitalized? The stated rationale -- to build up his physical strength and endurance -- could be accomplished in a palace, either in Bangkok or his preferred seaside residence in Hua Hin. Some will suspect other motives, but what those might be remain unclear. End Summary and Comment. SWEARING IN THE NEW MINISTERS... -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The five new members of PM Abhisit's cabinet traveled to Siriraj hospital on January 18 for a swearing-in ceremony with the King (REF A). Following the official swearing-in, King Bhumibol addressed the group, hewing in large measure to an overall theme of honesty. He asked the group to keep national interests at heart while they performed their duties, underscoring the importance of honesty and integrity at every step of the way. The King emphasized that as public figures, the ministers' actions would be scrutinized and held up as a model for appropriate behavior. In closing, the King noted that if the ministers carried out their duties in line with public expectations, they would help bring peace and progress to Thailand. ...WHISPERS FOR ABHISIT... -------------- ¶4. (S) After the Ministerial swearing in concluded, the King asked Abhisit to stay behind for an hour long one-on-one discussion; the focus was application of lese majeste provisions, according to a trusted, long-time Embassy contact who heard it from the person Abhisit subsequently briefed on his session with the King, Justice Ministry PermSec BANGKOK 00000287 002.2 OF 002 Kittipong. Kittipong serves as the Chair of a Committee Abhisit established in November 2009 to review the implementation of lese majeste provisions. According to Kittipong, King Bhumibol told Abhisit he needed to review, with an eye towards reforming, the judicial procedures associated with lese majeste implementation. Such a review needed to proceed carefully, Bhumibol supposedly told Abhisit, but he was aware any changes would primarily affect one person - himself. The King also reportedly reminded Abhisit that as King he had the ability to pardon anyone convicted on lese majeste grounds. ¶5. (S) Note: King Bhumibol is on the public record, in his 2005 annual Birthday address, as stating clearly that he was not above criticism and in fact welcomed it. His comments then and now are a likely indication that he understands that lese majeste as currently implemented serves to weaken, not protect, the institution of monarchy. Bhumibol does have a track record of pardoning those convicted of lese majeste, though there are two prominent recent convictions of Thais for which pardon appeals have not been forwarded to the King. Both cases are mentioned in the 2008 and 2009 Human Rights Reports. ...SERMONS FOR THE JUDGES -------------- ¶6. (C) A week later, King Bhumibol presided over a January 25 swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed Supreme Court Administrative judges. Speaking for ten minutes in a voice that was even, though little more than a whisper likely due to the effects of Parkinson's, Bhumibol exhorted the judges to abide by professional standards based on Buddhist tenets, a theme that allowed him to deploy the standard talking points he has made in such settings for years. He urged the judges to carry out their duties with fairness, impartiality, a sense of justice according to Buddhist norms on righteousness, and with an emphasis on maintaining neutrality. ¶7. (SBU) On February 1 the King met with another group of Supreme Court judges, and again drew on familiar themes in unscripted remarks. Bhumibol urged the judges to ensure justice and righteousness, to fully honor the dignity of the court, and to serve as the guarantor of the nation's peace, prosperity, and order. He noted at one point that: "Even bandits hope for justice." He closed by congratulating them on the opportunity to have a deep and lasting impact on other people's lives. ¶8. (S) The King's messages to both sets of judges would have sounded familiar to anyone who has heard the King speak in the past: grounded in Buddhist tenets, delphic in nature, but potentially applicable to the current Thai scene in a number of ways - in other words, how Bhumibol has addressed his ministers, judges, and citizens for decades. That fact alone, given the recent extended hospitalization and concerns that the end of reign was approaching more rapidly, made both events highly significant. Whether any deeper meaning could or should be read into exhortations to judges to do their duty, weeks before a scheduled February 26 landmark court decision on fugitive former PM Thaksin's frozen assets, will remain open to question, and speculation. JOHN