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Published on December 6, 2007

The heartbeat of the nation almost stopped yesterday as Thais from all walks of life dropped all activities to focus on the Royal Blessing Ceremony in honour of His Majesty the King, who turned 80 years old.

With his healthy longevity, King Bhumibol Adulyadej has marked yet another milestone in his glorious reign, blessed with reserves of power, wisdom and absolute virtue. He has already occupied the throne for more than 60 years, evolving to become the ultimate symbol of the country's stability.

With the December 23 general election a little over two weeks away, most Thais are worried about the looming political turmoil. But they can rest assured that when worse comes to worst, Thailand can still rely on spiritual guidance from the monarch.

"The King is still strong. And he still has good health," said a former Cabinet member.

Normally, Thais celebrate their birthdays in a big way at each 12-year Zodiac cycle of animal signs, or when they become 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 years old.

But this year was special for His Majesty because he reached 80, the same age that Lord Buddha also attained before passing away to nirvana.

In his speech on Tuesday, the King made some light remarks about youthfulness and ageing. Prime Minister Surayud Chula-nont, at 64, remained young although most people said he looked old, the King said. But for himself, the King said he never thought he would live until 80.

"At 80, everybody says that this is old. Well, I have no objection. Whoever says that I am old, I will not protest because I am really old," the King said.

Thais love and worship His Majesty because of his absolute morality, at times associating him with Lord Buddha.

Tens of thousands of loyal subjects woke up early yesterday to a beautiful morning and made their way to Old Bangkok, where they hoped to catch a glimpse of His Majesty travelling from Chitralada Palace to Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall. They donned yellow polo shirts and yellow caps - the symbolic colour of His Majesty - and held Thai flags.

At about 10 o'clock, Their Majesties the King and the Queen emerged in a motorcade from Chitralada Palace and headed toward the Grand Palace, where Chakri Throne Hall is one of the landmark buildings. Along the way, Their Majesties waved hands to the people who had waited patiently all morning. Some foreigners were among the crowd.

Then the hordes cheered out in a thunderous chant, "Long live the King! Long live the King!"

The motorcade proceeded at a slow pace so people could have a chance to see their King and Queen. The distance from Chitralada Palace to the Grand Palace is about four kilometres.

In the balmy weather and bright sunshine, Bu-nga Yiam-rum, a 41-year-old factory worker from Samut Sakhon, could hardly control her excitement, as it was the first time she had seen His Majesty in person.

"My tears almost overflowed when I saw HM the King be-cause I was so happy to see him," she said.

Srisa-ard Promwongsarak, 66, of Bangkok, said she had been participating in the celebrations at Sanam Luang for five days. She went to Siriraj Hos-pital to sing songs for the King and his elder sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, when they were undergoing treatment there.

"Today, I came here at 6am to sing songs to honour the King with my club and I'll wait until the candle lighting ceremony in the evening," she said.

Sven Lipper, 33, a German man, said he came from Chiang Mai to witness the event.

"I want to see him. He is a good king. I hope that he lives a long life and it's good for Thailand," he said.

Yvonne van den Diepstraten, a 25-year-old woman from Holland, said: "I know that people in Thailand have lots of respect for the King," said.

Dutchman Sebastiaan de Hoogh was also taken by the spectacle. "It's amazing to see so many people all in yellow, so you [Thais] must really love [the King]. That's good to see. I like it."

Inside the Grand Palace and in front of Chakri Throne Hall, the prime minister, National Legislative Assembly speaker, Supreme Court president, Cabinet members, diplomats, dignitaries, military and police brass, top civil servants and other distinguished guests lined up and waited for the arrival of Their Majesties.

Wearing formal dresses and white uniforms with their highest royal decorations, they participated in the Royal Blessing Ceremony in homage to His Majesty the King. At that moment, all the VIPs in Thailand were gathered within the compound of the Grand Palace.

This was the first time His Majesty has used the balcony of Chakri Throne Hall to formally greet his subjects. In five previous public audiences, he appeared on the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Chakri Throne Hall was selected for this occasion because it was here His Majesty was enthroned as King of the Ninth Reign of the Chakri Dynasty.

At 10.35am, the King, accompanied by Her Majesty and other Royal Family members, proceeded to the balcony of the Chakri Throne Hall Building. The King sat on a beautifully decorated yellow throne. The Queen and other royals stood behind him. A band performed the Royal Anthem.

Earlier, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn walked down the stairs of Chakri Throne Hall and stood in front of other participants of the Royal Blessing Ceremony.

The Crown Prince read out a statement in honour of His Majesty. Then the heads of the three branches of government read out statements - Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, National Legislative Assembly Speaker Meechai Ruchuphan and Supreme Court President Virat Limvichai.

The atmosphere was majestic indeed.

The King read out a brief statement to thank all the people who gave him their blessings. Again, he emphasised unity as the way for Thailand to progress further.

After he finished his address, those assembled on the plaza in front of the Throne Hall broke out into a resounding chant - "Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King!"

 Thanong Khanthong,

 Wannapa Phetdee

 The Nation