Ancient barge ceremony to fete Thai king, royalty

BANGKOK, June 12 (Reuters) Powered by more than 2,000 navy oarsmen, a glittering flotilla of royal Thai barges will glide past royalty from 25 nations today to honour the Diamond Jubilee of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The 52-strong fleet of red, blue and gold war barges will also be watched by thousands of yellow-clad Thais lining Bangkok's Chao Phraya river in a spectacular show of the southeast Asian kingdom's ancient traditions.

The lavish naval show is the peak of a five-day national party honouring King Bhumibol's 60 years on the throne.

Millions of his subjects are wearing yellow to symbolise their attachment to the world's longest-reigning monarch.

The Thai king and queen will preside over the dusk ceremony attended by one of the largest gatherings of royals in recent years, including Japan's Emperor Akihito, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden.

The last time the wooden barges, many of them with figureheads of mythical creatures such as bird-like garudas and river serpents, were rowed down the river was in 2003 when 21 Pacific Rim leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush, attended a regional summit in Bangkok.

''They glide across the water in eager unison, a vast surge of mythical creatures alight in a galaxy of gemstones,'' the Nation newspaper said in a colour supplement on the event.

''This is the Royal Barge Procession, a rite as old as the Kingdom of Siam itself.'' Security will be tight along the river where the 40-minute procession will glide past the golden-tiered Grand Palace, a navy hall hosting the dignitaries and finish at the famed Wat Arun, or Temple of Dawn.

With so many royals in town, the government declared three extra public holidays partly to clear Bangkok's usually congested streets for official motorcades.

ANCIENT TRADITION King Bhumibol (pronounced ''Pumipon''), now 78, ascended the throne in 1946 at the age of 18 at a time when the world was emerging from the ravages of World War Two.

This will be the 15th barge ceremony during the reign of a king seen as a keen upholder of tradition, the Nation said.

''The rare and beautiful royal barges are a case in point.

Discovering that they had been badly damaged in a World War Two bombing raid, he ordered their complete renovation and breathed new life into the procession itself,'' it said.

The ninth king of the Chakri Dynasty, the bespectacled, jazz-loving monarch is revered by Thais for his tireless campaigning for the poor and for steering the nation of 63 million people through many trials.

The quiet-spoken Bhumibol, whose name means ''Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power'', is a constitutional monarch seen to be above politics.

But he has used his considerable influence in three major interventions to end bloodshed or break political deadlocks since the 1970s.

The latest occurred in April when he summoned top judges to his seaside palace and told them to resolve a political crisis stemming from an inconclusive general election.

The Diamond Jubilee has given Thais a welcome break from months of political bickering, but analysts say the crisis is likely to worsen after the gala festivities end on Tuesday.

REUTERS MA DS1147