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THAILAND: KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ BIRTHDAY PARADE

(4 Nov 1999) Natural Sound Thailand has launched month-long birthday celebrations for King Bhumibol Adulyadej with a parade of 52 gilded barges gliding down the Chao Phraya river. The king - who's currently the world's longest-ruling monarch - turns 72 on December 5. That marks his sixth 12-year cycle, an auspicious event in Buddhist tradition. Although the King's actual birthday will be celebrated by the opening of a new skytrain over Bangkok's notoriously chaotic streets, a more traditional method of transport was used in the Royal Barge Procession on Thursday. The King rode at the centre of a parade of 52 decorated barges powered by more than 2-thouasnd oarsmen. Drafted from the Thai Royal Navy, the oarsmen in traditional Siamese costume and wearing gilded helmets chanted in unison, as the flotilla cruised serenely down the calm river. Bhumibol was kept cool by a servant waving a huge fan aboard his flower-garlanded, 151-foot barge Subanahongsa, named after a mythical swan-shaped mount, ridden by the Hindu god Brahma. Luckily for the procession, the rain held off. All 6-thousand premium viewing spots along the river had sold out and tens of thousands more people lined the banks. Millions around the country tuned into live television coverage of the event. The procession ended as the Royal barge docked at Bangkok's famed Temple of the Dawn. Dignitaries and over 1-thousand other well wishers, greeted the monarch, who presented robes to the temple's monks to symbolise the end of the monsoon season. The king, who dabbles in politics only in times of crisis, has presided over Thailand's transformation from a coup-prone backwater to a symbol of the new Asia. This year the king has cut back his public appearances because of severe back troubles. The birthday focuses new attention on his health and likely succession by his son, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, who accompanied his father on the barge and visit to the Temple The king had a heart operation in 1995 to open up constricted arteries and was treated for an irregular heartbeat in 1997. Held only on great royal occasions, the last Royal Barge Procession was in 1996, when Bhumibol marked his 50th anniversary on the throne. The procession survives from the days when kings went to war on elephant back and naval battles were fought by fast canoes powered by scores - sometimes hundreds - of rowers on inland waterways. In present day Thailand, the king is revered by nearly all of his people and insulting the monarchy is a prison offence. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...