Andrew MacGregor Marshall Queen Sirikit believes she is the reincarnation of the 16th century Queen Suriyothai, who rode into battle on elephant back to defend her husband the king and save the kingdom from the invading Burmese. Suriyothai was killed but her intervention saved Ayutthaya, or so the story goes. In 1997, Sirikits most sensible ladies-in-waiting and her private secretary Suprapada Kashemsant were killed in a Puma helicopter crash. As U.S. embassy cable 09BANGKOK2967 says, the crash tragically robbed Sirikit of her most valued and respected advisers who could steer her away from trouble and the surviving ladies-in-waiting were a toxic cabal who appear to reinforce the Queens tendency to be more nationalistic than the King. These ultra-right-wing ladies-in-waiting encouraged Sirikits delusions, partly out of their hatred for Vajiralongkorn, telling the queen that it was her destiny to save Thailand just as Suriyothai had done. In 2008, Queen Sirikit abandoned her support for Vajiralongkorn to become Rama X and began conspiring with the privy council, the old feudal establishment and the Yellow Shirt movement to sabotage the succession. The plan was to invoke Article 10 of the 1924 Palace Law on Succession to prevent Vajiralongkorn becoming king, so that Sirikit could reign as regent on behalf of Prince Dipangkorn. According to the constitution, this would have to be ratified by parliament, and so the ultra-royalists began desperately trying to undermine Thaksins control of parliament. This was the unacknowledged story behind the madness of 2008, which ended with the Yellow Shirt airport occupation and the dissolution of the PPP, allowing Abhisit Vejjajiva to become prime minister after striking a deal with the contemptible and corrupt Newin Chidchob. Suthep Thaugsuban was heavily involved in the horsetrading and became the main link between the Democrat Party and Bhumjai Thai. Sirikits severe stroke in July 2012 ended her hopes of reigning as regent, but the queens circle remains virulently opposed to Vajiralongkorn and determined to sabotage the succession. This is the reason for the latest insurrection — the ultra-royalists are still trying to remove parliament from Thaksins control to allow them to instal an alternative monarch when Bhumibol dies. Most of the establishment now favours Sirindhorn as regent and the young Dipangkorn as king, but some factions favour bringing back the Vivacharawongse boys. Because Thaksin has shown he can win control of parliament every time an election is held, the ultra-royalists are doing their best to prevent elections being held until after Bhumibol dies. Sirikits obsession with the myth of Suriyothai prompted her to enlist Prince Chatri Chalerm Yugala in the late 1990s to produce a costly epic movie about the story. The palace contributed $8 million to the project at a time when Thailand was reeling from the Asian economic crisis, and when the project went over budget the Thai military and corporate donors were pressured to help. The movie eventually cost more than $10 million, making it by far the most expensive move in Thai history at the time of its release — no movie had ever had a budget of more than $2 million before. Sirikit was insistent that Queen Suriyothai must be played by a royal, not a commoner, and handpicked her lady-in-waiting and personal dresser ML Piyapas Bhirombhakdi for the role. Piyapas was the daughter of Thanpuying Vijada Kridakon Na Ayuttaya, who had been one of the queens most trusted ladies-in-waiting for decades until she was killed in the 1997 helicopter crash. Piyapas had never acted before and was useless. One U.S. review, by Kent Williams, observed: The Legend of Suriyothai, which is essentially a series of pageants leading to and from various battles, certainly looks like an epic. But it feels like a vanity project — the attempt by todays royal family to drape itself in the glory of yesterdays. Speaking of vanity, Queen Sirikit managed to get her own lady-in-waiting, Piyapas Bhirombhakdi, cast as Suriyothai, a bit of palace intrigue that leaves us with a leading actress who, sadly, cannot act. But the Thai media lavished Piyapas with praise. She was quoted as saying in one adoring article in The Nation that: Her Majesty felt that the film would prove how Thai women, although they may not be equal to men, are involved in so many different causes. She also felt that Thai women were stronger than many women in Asia. We may not be equal to men, but we can do many things that they cant do, and vice-versa. I think men and women have their separate roles in society… In some ways the film has made me more selfless and my life more valuable. The movie is for the Thai people, and for Their Majesties. They have done so much for this country, and for me personally. Chitpas Bhirombhakdi is the daughter of Piyapas and Chutinant Bhirombhakdi of the Singha beer dynasty. She was sent away to a British boarding school supposedly because of an allergy to pollution, but probably because her mother was concerned Vajiralongkorn would prey on her. On returning to Thailand she became active in Democrat Party politics. Her prominence in the insurrection shows that Sirikits inner circle is among the factions backing the anti-democracy movement. Chitpas is a key link between the Democrat Party and Sirikit.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 22:46:53 +0000
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