HIS MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ of Thailand was born in Cambridge Massachusetts, The United States of America, on Monday the 5th of December 1927, being the third and youngest child of Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Mahidol of Songkhla.
Even the facts of his birth seem to be significant in several ways. He is, first of all, the direct grandson of His Late Majesty KingChulalongkorn or Rama V who was renowned for the great reforms which he made to all institutions of Thailand to bring them up to date and in line with the rest of the Western-orientated world.
As Foreign relations are always conducted on Head-of-State level, His Majesty exercises to the full his prerogative in dispatching and receiving envoys to and from friendly nations. These formal functions are, however, conducted by him with the most personal touch. He anoints each Thai Ambassador in the fare-well audience and gives appropriate words of advice. Foreign envoys accredited to the Thai Court are received in both formal and informal audience, in the latter of which close personal bonds are formed, leading to smoother and more sympathetic co-operation. The personal touch is extended to areas of foreign relations outside the diplomatic circle, for His Majesty also constantly receives in audience various important and interesting foreign figures who pass by our country or have come in to co-operate with the Thai authorities in some way. The list of guests ranges from Foreign Royalty and Dignitaries through representatives of all fields of life.
Apart from livelihood, Health is obviously another main concern in the welfare of any people. Health, for that reason, is also another main and close concern of His Majesty, especially as his Royal father, as already mentioned, is regarded as the Father of the modern Thai Medical Profession. His Majesty's activities range far and wide into many spheres and many areas of Health, staring with the physical contribution through attendances at Meetings of medical personnel or on medical matters such as the graduation and other ceremonies of medical students where he always gives appropriate words of advice and raises appropriate problems such as the growing brain drain of medical graduater to foreign countries and the reverse lack of medical personnel in provincial areas.