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Thailand has dissolved into sentimental pastel shades as the kingdom prepares to celebrate King Bhumibol’s 80th birthday next week. When the king suffered a stroke in October more than a million Thais signed books wishing him a speedy recovery. When he walked out of hospital wearing a pink jacket, newspapers printed commemorative editions in the same colour, with headlines such as “In the Pink”.Pink T-shirts became a fashion sensation overnight.Such was the public euphoria at Bhumibol’s recovery that a university study showed that the “Gross National Happiness Index” had hit levels unseen since a military coup last year.The king is seen by many as semi-divine and widely credited with leading his country’s rapid economic development. If alternative views exist they are rarely heard. Criticising the king is punishable with 15 years in jail.Yellow T-shirts have been popular for years, because yellow is the colour associated with Monday-the day on which Bhumibol was born.Government House announced this week that “the premier has asked his cabinet members to wear yellow on all five days [of the birthday celebrations], except at events where they are required to wear uniform or specific formal attire.”Phufa, a clothes shop that belongs to a princess, sold 40,000 pink T-shirts in November.“Our factory is making these shirts every day, every minute, day and night,” a spokeswoman said.When the king visited his sister in hospital earlier this month wearing a green jacket a new sensation arrived.“Now the T-shirt craze in green,” announced the Bangkok Post in a front page headline. “Pink is thought to be auspicious and green can help bring success for a person born on a Monday,” the newspaper explained.“If he wears orange, I’ll have to put orange shirts on my stall,” said Somying Puangjinda, a 26-year-old street vendor.It was not to be. A few days later newspapers carried large front page photographs of the king in a sky blue blazer. “Now it’s blue,” announced the Bangkok Post.As in the days of Noah....
