In 1987, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) produced a book titled “The King of Thailand in World Focus”, a collection of articles and photographs concerning H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, as seen through the often-exacting lens of the international media. This much admired book, produced to coincide with King Bhumibol’s 60th birthday, has long since been out of print, but remains one of the most insightful and readable works on Thailand’s much loved monarch. It goes right back to his birth in the United States and upbringing in Switzerland, and takes in his accession, family life, state visits abroad in the 1950s and 1960s, his numerous hobbies, and also surveys his lifelong work for the political, economic and social development of Thailand in both good times and bad.


This year marks the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol’s accession to the throne, and next year will see nationwide celebrations of his 80th birthday. At a much more modest level, the FCCT is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. One of the FCCT activities being undertaken to mark these happy anniversaries is updating the 1987 royal book.


Completely redesigned and reformatted, the new book will include foreign coverage of the intervening years during which King Bhumibol has become the world’s longest reigning monarch. It has not been plain sailing by any means — the dramatic royal intervention in May 1992 to end political chaos and bloodshed is still dramatically etched on the world’s collective imagination, particularly in these tense political days.


The FCCT are appealing to all journalists, photographers, embassies, officials and media representatives to think long and hard about any articles, photographs or illustrations they can recall which might be suitable for inclusion. We are particularly keen to secure non-English material for translation that might have been overlooked in the past and which would be of interest to a wider audience.


Time is of the essence, if you have any suggestions please do not hesitate to get in touch or send this on to somebody you think can help. Remember that to qualify for inclusion, the material must first have appeared in foreign publications produced outside Thailand. The writers and photographers may of course be foreign or Thai.


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