2LT International News

BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, known for her decades of work to help the poor, protect the environment, and preserve traditional crafts, died on Friday at the age of 93.

The Royal Household Bureau said she passed away at a hospital in Bangkok. She had been suffering from a blood infection since October 17, and despite medical treatment, her condition worsened. In recent years, the Queen Mother had mostly stayed out of the public eye because of declining health. Her husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died in 2016.

Photos released by the palace for her 88th birthday showed her son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and other royals visiting her at Chulalongkorn Hospital, where she had been receiving long-term care.

Though often overshadowed by her husband and son, Queen Sirikit was deeply respected in her own right. Her portrait adorned homes, offices, and public buildings across Thailand, and her August 12 birthday was celebrated nationwide as Mother’s Day. She worked to support Cambodian refugees, promote rural crafts, and protect Thailand’s forests and wildlife.

Over the years, however, her role also drew scrutiny as Thailand went through political turmoil. She was sometimes accused of taking sides during political protests, particularly after she attended the funeral of a demonstrator killed in clashes with police — a gesture that some saw as politically symbolic.

Born Sirikit Kitiyakara on August 12, 1932, she came from a noble Bangkok family connected to earlier Thai kings. After World War II, she moved to France with her diplomat father, where she met the young King Bhumibol, who was studying in Europe. Their friendship deepened when the king was seriously injured in a car accident, and Sirikit helped care for him. They married in 1950, shortly before his coronation, where both vowed to rule “with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Thai people.”

The couple had four children — King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Princesses Ubolratana, Sirindhorn, and Chulabhorn — and spent their early years traveling abroad as goodwill ambassadors.

By the 1970s, their focus shifted to domestic development. The king and queen visited villages across Thailand to address poverty, drug addiction, and unrest. Queen Sirikit was admired for her hands-on approach, often visiting remote areas and listening to villagers’ problems directly.

In 1976, she founded the SUPPORT Foundation to teach rural Thais traditional crafts such as silk-weaving, pottery, and jewelry-making, helping them earn steady incomes while preserving local culture.

Nicknamed the “Green Queen,” she also launched environmental projects like Forest Loves Water and wildlife breeding centers to protect endangered species and promote conservation.

Elegant yet approachable, Queen Sirikit remained a powerful symbol of service and tradition. She once said her goal was to bridge the gap between urban elites and rural people — a mission she pursued throughout her long life.

“There are some in the universities who think the monarchy is obsolete. But I think Thailand needs an understanding monarch,” she said in the 1979 interview. “At the call, ‘The king is coming,’ thousands will gather.

“The mere word king has something magic in it. It is wonderful.”