President Obama and Hillary Clinton meet King Bhumibol of Thailand

-- 2012-11-19

be reminded

2) Not to express disrespect of the King of Thailand or anyone else in the Thai royal family, whether living or deceased, nor to criticize the monarchy as an institution. Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family. Discussion of the lese majeste law or lese majeste cases is permitted on the forum, providing no comment or speculation is made referencing the royal family. To breach this rule will result in immediate ban.

According to David Nakamura of the Washington Post that the reporters were led out of the meeting and Mr. Obama could be overheard to say that he met with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last year in Bali and "it strengthened the relationship."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/11/18/president-obama-secretary-of-state-clinton-meet-king-of-thailand/

I am not sure of protocols but I am sure Hilary should have kowtowed in respect. Barry certainly did that in Saudi but not here. Certainly watching the Thai officials on knees and crawling, must have sparked a twinge they may have gotten it wrong. I hope His Majesty remains with us for a long time to come as Thailand may have grave problems to contend with, without his guidance.

I am sure the protocol types from both sides made sure that things were done as properly as possibly.

Obama wei'd the monks at the wat, and here he shook the offered hand of the king. No doubts this was prearranged.

HRM is no stranger to Americans and American culture, having met with many from Elvis to Satchmo and others.

He is a long time fan of american jazz, and I would venture that, given enough time, this subject would have come up during the pleasantries.

Long live HRM.

Edited November 19, 201213 yr by animatic

Long live the King and his Sufficient Economy. with respect deep from my own heart.

I am not sure of protocols but I am sure Hilary should have kowtowed in respect. Barry certainly did that in Saudi but not here. Certainly watching the Thai officials on knees and crawling, must have sparked a twinge they may have gotten it wrong. I hope His Majesty remains with us for a long time to come as Thailand may have grave problems to contend with, without his guidance.

There's always one. Welcome to the 21st centrury.

Indeed long live the King - A brilliant monarch and a true hero of mine truly loved by all Thais and for good reason. Very much respected and wish him a very very long life.

HRM is no stranger to Americans and American culture, having met with many from Elvis to Satchmo and others.

He is a long time fan of american jazz, and I would venture that, given enough time, this subject would have come up during the pleasantries.

Indeed. He was born at the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massaachusetts USA in 1927 and came to Thailand in 1928.

He was educated in Switzerland, where he received a high school diploma, with a major in French literature and Latin. His knowledge of the world is immense and I'm sure the protocol was correct.

Long live HRM

Indeed long live the King - A brilliant monarch and a true hero of mine truly loved by all Thais and for good reason. Very much respected and wish him a very very long life.

Absolutely!!!

Do they have this video without the Thai reporter talking in the back ground?

Do they have this video without the Thai reporter talking in the back ground?

Well, here are some detailed quotes of what was said anyway:

Obama smiled and said, “Elections in the United States are very long, but it’s very gratifying to know people still have confidence in me. I thought it was very important that my first trip after the elections was to Thailand, which is such a great ally.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/white-house-notebook-obama-jokes-that-prayer-needed-to-resolve-fiscal-cliff/2012/11/18/13a01b80-3178-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html

Thanks Jing

Wow that was nice to see the quotes selected there. I particularly like what Obama wrote in the guest book

“an honor to visit Thailand — America’s oldest treaty ally in Asia. The bonds between our peoples have endured for nearly 180 years. Grounded in mutual respect and guided by our common aspirations for peace and prosperity, may the bonds and friendship between us endure for many years to come.”

Then it kinda dawns on you. 180 years..well before the Civil War, our country was just 56yrs old, countless presidents and prime ministers long gone, revolutions and upheavals ran their course, mistakes were made but their darkness was written in the sand while good deeds were etched in stone.

I gotta say when I saw my President meeting with the Prime minister I was upset. Other posts clearly spell out how I feel about her and her brother. But in this short video, and in the comments from it, I realized that our relationship is bigger than what was written in the sand by their people, and like all things written in the sand, it too will blow away into obscurity, and we will still be great allies.

Long Live the King, and may The Gods Bless America and Thailand and hold fast their union.

Fun Fact: The King has personally seen 10 US Presidents and 32 Thai Prime Ministers come and go in his reign alone. While I loath the recent state of Thai politics but it's nice to see our relationship is bigger than that.

Edited November 19, 201213 yr by Zatoichi

I love my music ,i love dogs, and above all i love the king x

I am sure the protocol types from both sides made sure that things were done as properly as possibly.

Obama wei'd the monks at the wat, and here he shook the offered hand of the king. No doubts this was prearranged.

HRM is no stranger to Americans and American culture, having met with many from Elvis to Satchmo and others.

He is a long time fan of american jazz, and I would venture that, given enough time, this subject would have come up during the pleasantries.

Long live HRM.

Certainly HRM is no stranger to the American way, after all, HRM was born in the USA, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Long Live the King

Edited November 19, 201213 yr by metisdead
: Bold removed.

Although I grew up without the indoctrination, I have to say The King is quite a decent guy, a musician(sax and guitar) and multilingual to boot. His father quit the royalty so he could train as a doctor, Studied in USA and brought US style alloathic medicine to Thailand, hence Mahidol U SOM.

_{Yes. Long live the King and the Chakri dynasty.}

Should have taken a picture of Hillary Clinton shaking the King's hand because you may as well put that in the president's book as well!

I am not sure of protocols but I am sure Hilary should have kowtowed in respect. Barry certainly did that in Saudi but not here. Certainly watching the Thai officials on knees and crawling, must have sparked a twinge they may have gotten it wrong. I hope His Majesty remains with us for a long time to come as Thailand may have grave problems to contend with, without his guidance.

I am very sure every move, every step and every gesture was planned 100%. His Majesty the King is a very modern forward thinking person who in his time has been very "westernized" the Thai people should feel very grateful for his efforts to take Thailand into the 21st century without losing all of its customs, no one should ever complain about this. I would imagine His Royal Highness and Royal household would have been the ones who dictated the rules of the meeting. It’s the same in the UK for visiting dignitaries the Queen hosts.

Just wondering if anyone saw the part where PM Yingluck came in and sat down. The video I saw cut away right before she greeted His Majesty. As Pres. Obama and Sec. Hillary didn't need to curtsy or go down on their knees, in the presence of other foreign dignitaries, do the Thai counter parts still need to kneel? Or just bow and wai?

HRM is no stranger to Americans and American culture, having met with many from Elvis to Satchmo and others.

He is a long time fan of american jazz, and I would venture that, given enough time, this subject would have come up during the pleasantries.

Indeed. He was born at the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massaachusetts USA in 1927 and came to Thailand in 1928.

He was educated in Switzerland, where he received a high school diploma, with a major in French literature and Latin. His knowledge of the world is immense and I'm sure the protocol was correct.

Long live HRM

HM is also VERY computer literate!!!

This is an historic occasion.

Two great men of two great nations meeting in peace and hope.

Long live the King and long may he reign.