National unity, harmony and popular legitimacy are in short supply in Thailand. The illusion of two out of the three—unity and harmony—disappeared the day King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away five years ago this week. Popular legitimacy is hard to attain. As the story goes, and repeated by scholar after scholar, a young Bhumibol receives a boost from the regime of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, who in turn gives license to implement anti-communist policies rebuild the monarchy from the ashes of the 1932 revolution.
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