タイ国王が水上パレード、戴冠祝う最後の行事に市民が歓声

【バンコクＡＦＰ＝時事】タイの首都バンコクを流れるチャオプラヤ川で12日、ワチラロンコン国王（67）の戴冠を祝う最後の行事となる水上パレードが行われ、こぎ手2000人超を伴った52隻の船団が川を航行した。（写真はタイ・バンコクを流れるチャオプラヤ川でのワチラロンコン国王の水上パレードで、会場に到着した国王らを映した映像を見る人々）
　父であるプミポン・アドゥンヤデート前国王が２０１６年に死去したことを受けて、ワチラロンコン国王は今年５月に戴冠していた。
　国王と４人目の妻であるスティダー王妃が、「金の白鳥」と呼ばれる船で川を進むと、王室のシンボルカラーである黄色い服を身にまとい、川沿いに座った多くの人々が歓声を上げた。
　国王夫妻の横には、国王の３度目の結婚で生まれた１４歳の王子が着席。別の船には、同じく先の結婚で生まれた王女２人の姿もあった。
　水上パレードは当初１０月２４日に予定されていたが、「川の状況や天候」の懸念があるとして、１２月半ばに延期された。
　国王はその数日後、配偶者だったシニーナート・ウォンワチラーパックさん（３４）について、国王への「不実」と、スティダー王妃の即位に反発する行動を取ったとしてあらゆる称号を剥奪した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/12/13-09:21）

Flanked by more than 2,000 oarsmen rowing to a steady drumbeat, Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn travelled down Bangkok's Chao Phraya river as part of a 52-barge flotilla on Thursday, marking the final event of his coronation.
The flotilla comes seven months after the monarch was crowned in an elaborate three-day affair that involved sacred bathing rituals and a grand procession where he was carried on a palanquin around Bangkok's historic old quarter to greet the public.
Thousands of well-wishers dressed in royal yellow sat along the riverbanks, cheering on the king who wore a feather-adorned hat and Queen Suthida, his fourth wife, as they passed on a gilded Suphannahong -- or Golden Swan -- barge.
Seated next to them was Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the king's 14-year-old son from his third marriage, while his two daughters from previous marriages were on a separate barge decorated with a pink exterior and naga-head figurines.
The river procession allows Thais a rare chance to see the royal family in the flesh -- a prospect that drew elderly supporters.
I am so excited because this is my last chance, 69-year-old Renu Thanadauksorn told AFP.
Having seen rehearsals on television, Youngyut Maeaksamut said he had wanted to experience the grandeur in person.
I wanted to see the real thing, the actual ceremony, for once, said the 66-year-old, who had waited in the sun for hours before to see the procession float past.
Public transport fares on Bangkok's skytrain and underground subway were waived for the day, and onlookers were served complimentary meals while they waited.
The traditional event -- which also drew foreign dignitaries and diplomats -- originated from the river journeys of ancient Thai kings as they lead their battle flotillas into war.
Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne after the 2016 death of his father Bhumibol Adulyadej, who remains widely adored in Thailand and was revered as the country's moral authority.
Since he took the throne, the assertive monarch has beefed up his security detail and retained direct control over the palace's multi-billion-dollar fortune.
The flotilla had originally been scheduled for October 24, but was moved to mid-December due to worries over water conditions and weather.
Days later the 67-year-old king stripped his royal consort of all titles for displaying disloyalty and acting against the appointment of the Queen.
The public downfall of 34-year-old Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi provided a rare glimpse into the inscrutable private lives of Thailand's ultra-wealthy and powerful monarchy.
The royal family sits at the apex of Thai society, and is protected by some of the world's harshest anti-defamation laws.