Thailand, Succession and Legitimacy: Mahaha Vajiralongkorn and Tôn Duc Thang

David, Frederic Camroux (1)

1 CERI - Centre de recherches internationales (Sciences Po, CNRS)

It may appear incongruous and, to some at least, offensive to compare the present Crown Prince (aged 62) and heir apparent to the Thai throne with the second president of North Vietnam and, after reunification, the first president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. After all, the putative ‘predecessor’ of the former, King Bhumibol (Rama IX), while ailing, still remains on the throne and is still the more than ceremonial head of state of the Thai kingdom. As for Tôn Duc Thang’s predecessor, Ho Chi Minh, he died in 1969 and Tôn himself passed away in 1980 at the age of 92. Yet a recent trip to neighbouring Vietnam has caused me to think again on political developments in the Southeast country with which I am at present most concerned, Thailand, and the parallels and divergences in the historical trajectories of these two Southeast Asian nations...

Domaines: Science politique

David, Frederic Camroux. Thailand, Succession and Legitimacy: Mahaha Vajiralongkorn and Tôn Duc Thang. 2015. ⟨hal-03392757⟩