Reign of Virtue: A New Phase of Buddhist Kingship in Contemporary Thailand
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This article examines the shifting modalities of royal authority under Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), whose reign has strategically reconfigured traditional religious ideology, termed as Royal Thai Buddhist Nationalism (RTBN). Recent portrayals have recast Rama X as a dhammarāja, a benevolent monarch embodying Buddhist virtue. Central to this transition is the 904 Royal Volunteer program, ostensibly promoting civic engagement and loyalty to the monarchy through orchestrated public service. Rather than marking a linear progression to virtue, the article presents that the new reign has embraced and shuffled a dual face of the royal governance model, integrating institutional pressure with virtues through symbolic performances of civic engagement under the royal banner. This strategy represents a secularization of royal virtues, shifting moral legitimacy from traditional religious institutions to state-managed civic activities under royal patronage. The study reveals the program’s operations as bureaucratically orchestrated, emphasizing symbolic visibility over substantive public welfare. Ultimately, this recalibration of RTBN reflects the adaptive attempt of the crown to maintain legitimacy amidst contemporary democratic pressures and societal expectations.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
© 2018 by Asian Journal of Arts and Culture, Walailak University. All rights reserved.
References
Baker, C., & Phongpaichit, P. (2014). A history of Thailand. Port Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
Baker, C., Streckfuss, D., Ouyyanont, P., Gearing, J., Ehrlich, R., Horn, R., Woodrow, R., Wedel, P., & Cummings, J. (2011). King Bhumibol Adulyadej: Life’s work. In Grossman, N., & Faulder, D. (Eds.). Singapore: Editions Didier Millet.
BBC Thai. (2020). Lamdab hetkan karn chumnum thang karnmuang 2563 [Sequence of 2020 Political Gatherings]. BBC News Thai. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/thai/thailand-54741254
Bowie, K. A. (1997). Rituals of national loyalty: An anthropology of the state and the Village Scout movement in Thailand. New York, USA: Columbia University Press.
Budget Bureau. (2020a). Aekkasān ngoppramān chabap thī 3 ngoppramān rāichai chabap prabprung tām phrarāchabanyat ngoppramān rāichai prajam phī ngoppramān phō sō 2564 lem thī 1 [Budget Document No. 3, volume 1, Budget Expenditure, revised edition, in accordance with the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Expenditure Act]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=10658&mid=545&catID=1267
Budget Bureau. (2020b). Aekkasarn ngoppraman Chabap thi 3 ngoppraman raijai Chabap prapprung tam phraratchabanyat ngoppraman raijai pracham pi ngoppraman phosoe 2564 lem thi 1 [Budget Document No. 3 Expenditure Budget, revised version, in accordance with the Expenditure Budget Act for the Fiscal Year 2021, volume 1]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=10658&mid=545&catID=1267
Budget Bureau. (2021). Aekasarn ngoppramaan chapab thi 3 lem thi 1 ngoppramaan raichai chapab bprapprung tam phra ratchabanyat ngoppramaan raichai pracham pi ngoppramaan phosor 2565 [Budget Document No. 3, volume 1, Expenditure Budget, revised edition, in accordance with the Annual Expenditure Budget Act, Fiscal Year 2022]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=14390&mid=545&catID=1364
Budget Bureau. (2022). Aekkasarn ngoppramaan chabab thi 3 ngoppramaan raijai chabab prapprung tam phraratchabanyat ngoppramaan raijai pracham pi ngoppramaan phos. 2566 lem thi 1 [Budget Document No. 3, Expenditure Budget, revised version, in accordance with the Expenditure Budget Act for the Fiscal Year 2023, volume 1]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=15170&mid=545&catID=1382
Budget Bureau. (2024a). Aekkasān ngoppramān chabab thī 3 ngoppramān rāi jài chabab prapprung tām phraratchabanyat ngoppramān rāi jài pracham pī ngoppramān phōsō 2567 lem thī 1 [Budget Document No. 3, Expenditure Budget, revised version, in accordance with the Fiscal Year 2024 Expenditure Budget Act, volume 1]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=16523&mid=545&catID=1448
Budget Bureau. (2024b). Aeksakan ngoppramaan chabap thi 3 ngoppramaan raijai chabap prapprung tam phra ratchabanyat ngoppramaan raijai pracham pi ngoppramaan phor.sor. 2568 lem thi 1 [Budget Document No. 3, Expenditure Budget, revised version, in accordance with the Expenditure Budget Act for the fiscal year 2025, volume 1]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=17049&mid=545&catID=1473
Budget Bureau. (2024c). Aekkasarn ngoppramaan chabap thi 3 ngoppramaan raichai chabap prapprung tam phra ratchabanyat ngoppramaan raichai pracham pi ngoppramaan phos. 2568 lem thi 17 [Budget Document No. 3, Expenditure Budget, revised version, in accordance with the Expenditure Budget Act for the Fiscal Year 2025, volume 17]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=17026&mid=545&catID=1473
Budget Bureau. (2024d). Aekasarn ngoppramuan chabap thi 3 ngoppramuan raichai chabap prapprung tam phraratchabanyat ngoppramuan raichai pracham pi ngoppramuan phosor 2568 lem thi 11 [Budget Document No. 3, Expenditure Budget, revised version, in accordance with the Expenditure Budget Act for the Fiscal Year 2025, volume 11]. Samnak ngob praman [Budget Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.bb.go.th/topic-detail.php?id=17035&mid=545&catID=1473
Chachavalpongpun, P. (2020). Introduction (pp. 1-28). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Coup, king, crisis: A critical interregnum in Thailand. New Haven, USA: Monograph 68/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Chachavalpongpun, P. (2022). Kingdom of fear: Royal governance under Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 41(3), 359-377.
Chachavalpongpun, P. (2023). Introduction (pp. 1-32). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Rama X: The Thai monarchy under King Vajiralongkorn. New Haven, USA, USA: Monograph 69/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Chaloemtiarana, T. (2007). Thailand: The politics of despotic paternalism. New York, USA: Southeast Asia Program Cornell University.
Chambers, P., & Waitoolkiat, N. (2018). The resilience of monarchised military in Thailand (pp. 55-74). In Hewison, K., & Kanchoochat, V. (Eds.). Military, monarchy and repression: Assessing Thailand’s authoritarian turn. London, England: Routledge.
Chitbundid, C. (2007). Khrongkan anneung ma chak phra ratchadamri: Kan satthapana phra ratcha-amnat nam nai phra bat somdet phra jao yuhua [The royal-initiated projects: The making of royal hegemony]. Bangkok, Thailand: Social Sciences and Humanities Textbook Foundation.
Crown Property Bureau. (2024). Khorngkan Jit’aasa phra ratchathan tam naew phra ratchadamri [Royal Volunteer project under the royal initiative]. Samnakngan sabsin phramahakasat [Crown Property Bureau]. Retrieved from https://www.crownproperty.or.th/%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4
Dabphet, S. (2010). State and religious ideology in nineteenth-century Thailand. Retrieved from https://utcp.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/publications/pdf/UTCPBooklet17_04_Dabphet.pdf
de Vienne, M. S. (2022). Thailand’s Buddhist kingship in the 20th and 21st centuries: Power, influence and rites. New York, USA: Routledge.
Department of Religious Affairs. (2024). Rabbop than khomun phra katin phra ratchathan [Royal kathina database system]. Royal kathina database system. Retrieved from https://katin.dra.go.th/history/index
Fong, J. (2009). Sacred nationalism: The Thai monarchy and primordial nation construction. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 39(4), 673-696.
Ganjanakhundee, S. (2022). A soldier king: Monarchy and military in the Thailand of Rama X. Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Gray, C. E. (1986). Thailand: The soteriological state in the 1970s (Doctoral Dissertation). USA: Chicago University.
Haberkorn, T. (2023). Foreward (pp. vii–x). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Rama X: The Thai monarchy under King Vajiralongkorn. New Haven, USA: Monograph 69/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Handley, P. M. (2006). The king never smiles: A biography of Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej. New Haven, USA: Yale University Press.
Hewison, K. (2008). A Book, the King and the 2006 Coup. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 38(1), 190-211.
Hewison, K. (2020). Managing Vajiralongkorn’s long succession (pp. 117-144). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Coup, king, crisis: A critical interregnum in Thailand. New Haven, USA: Monograph 68/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Holmes, O. (2017). Thailand’s king signs constitution that cements junta’s grip. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/06/thailand-king-signs-constitution-path-polls-election
Hyun, S. (2023). Indigenizing the cold war. Honolulu, USA: University of Hawaii Press.
iLaw. (2022, May 19). Kān chumnum bpee 2563 phriptā haeng khwām plīanplaeng: phalang kòtūa jāk nai, mī phatthanā kār yāngrai, rao jēo arai mā bāng [2020 protest the blink of change: Where it comes from? development? what have we faced?]. ILaw. Retrieved from https://freedom.ilaw.or.th/node/1059
Ishii, Y. (1986). Sangha, state, and society: Thai Buddhism in history. Honolulu, USA: The University of Hawaii Press.
Jackson, P. A. (1990). Buddhism, legitimation and conflict: The political functions of urban Thai Buddhism. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Jackson, P. A. (2010). Virtual divinity: A 21st century discourse of Thai royal influence (pp. 29-60). In Ivarsson, S., & Isager, L. (Eds.). Saying the unsayable: Monarchy and democracy in Thailand. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.
Jory, P. (2016). Thailand’s theory of monarchy: The Vessantara Jataka and the idea of the perfect man. New York, USA: State University of New York Press, Albany.
Keyes, C. F. (1987). Thailand: Buddhist kingdom as modern nation-state. Coroladodo, USA: Westview Press.
Keyes, C. F. (1989). Buddhist politics and their revolutionary origins in Thailand. International Political Science Review / Revue Internationale de Science Politique, 10(2), 121-142.
Kulabkaew, K. (2021). Managing moral authority: Thai king’s revived devotion to Buddhism. FULCRUM. Retrieved from https://fulcrum.sg/managing-moral-authority-thai-kings-revived-devotion-to-buddhism/
Larsson, T. (2022). Royal succession and the politics of religious purification in contemporary Thailand. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 52(1), 2-22.
McCargo, D. (2005). Network monarchy and legitimacy crises in Thailand. The Pacific Review, 18(4), 499-519.
Mérieau, E. (2018). Buddhist constitutionalism in Thailand: When Rājadhammā supersedes the constitution. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 13(2), 283-305.
Ministry of Interior. (2025). Khuu mue khan thon kān chai ngān rabop rāi ngan phol kān patibat ngān chit āsa tāam kho̜ngkān chit āsa phra ratchathan [Manual for the Royal Volunteer event report system]. Retrieved from https://dopacrr.dopa.go.th/volunteer/manual/manual.pdf
Oltermann, P. (2021). Thai king flies to Germany as monarchy reform calls persist. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/12/thailand-king-flies-germany-monarchy-reform-calls-persist
Pawakapan, P. (2021). Infiltrating society: The Thai military’s internal security affairs. Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Phuaphansawat, K. (2018). Anti-royalism in Thailand since 2006: Ideological shifts and resistance. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 48(3), 363-394.
PPTV Online. (2024). Katin phra ratchathan 2567 chek chue wat - tarang ngan bun yaipPi la 1 krang [Royal kathin 2024, check the name of the temple - schedule of the big merit-making event once a year]. PPTVHD36. Retrieved from https://www.pptvhd36.com/news/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A1/235285
Prachatai. (2022a). Jit’asa mai fri, song ngop 65 lae rang ngop 66 tee mee rai jai suan nee [Royal Volunteer is not free. Take a look at the 2012 budget and the 2013 budget draft that includes this expense]. Prachatai. Retrieved from https://prachatai.com/journal/2022/06/99208
Prachatai. (2022b, November 29). Koromo. Rap sap phon damnoen ngan “Jit-asa Prachathan” kon ruam kwa 1.14 lan kon [Cabinet acknowledges results of “Royal volunteer” activities, with over 1.14 million people participating]. Prachatai. Retrieved from https://prachatai.com/journal/2022/11/101653
Prachatai English. (2020). The demonstration at Thammasat proposes monarchy reform. Prachatai English. Retrieved from https://prachataienglish.com/node/8709
Puaksom, D. (1998). Kān tham tāwan tok hāi bpen tāwan ok khǎng sàyām: Kān tǭp tō ráb mū wāt kārm khwām pen ʉn khǒng mitchānarī tāwan tok doī panya chān sàyām nai chûang ton sàttawát thī 19 [Orientalizing the occidental of Siam: Response to Western missionary othering discourses by Siamese intellectuals in the early nineteenth century]. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/11715473/%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%97%E0%B9%8D%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%AB_%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9B_%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1_Orientalizing_the_Occidental_of_Siam_
Puaksom, D. (2023). Phutthasatsana baep bpen witthayasat nai sangkhom Thai: Kan suebsuan khonkhwa thang prathitsat [Scientific Buddhism in Thai society: A historical investigation]. Phitsanulok, Thailand: FORASIA - Foundation for Advanced Research on Asian Societies.
Raymond, G. V. (2023). Friends close and enemies closer: Rama X and the Thai military (pp. 137-172). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Rama X: The Thai Monarchy under King Vajiralongkorn. New Haven, USA: Monograph 69/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Reynolds, C. J. (1976). Buddhist cosmography in Thai History, with special reference to nineteenth-century culture change. The Journal of Asian Studies, 35(2), 203-220.
Royal Office. (2024a). Laksuurt Jit Asa 904 [904 Volunteer course]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%ad%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2-%e0%b9%80%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%97%e0%b8%b3%e0%b8%84%e0%b8%a7%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%a1-%e0%b8%94%e0%b8%b5/%e0%b8%ab%e0%b8%a5%e0%b8%b1%e0%b8%81%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b9%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%ad%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2-904/
Royal Office. (2024b). Pra-wat khwām pen mā [History of Royal Volunteer]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2-%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1-%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B5/%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9B%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B2/
Royal Office. (2024c). Khun sombat lae kan rap samak jit a sa phra racha than [Qualifications and recruitment of Royal Volunteers]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%ad%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2-%e0%b9%80%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%97%e0%b8%b3%e0%b8%84%e0%b8%a7%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%a1-%e0%b8%94%e0%b8%b5/%e0%b8%84%e0%b8%b8%e0%b8%93%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%a1%e0%b8%9a%e0%b8%b1%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%b4-%e0%b9%81%e0%b8%a5%e0%b8%b0%e0%b8%81%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%b1%e0%b8%9a%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%a1%e0%b8%b1%e0%b8%84/
Royal Office. (2024d). Khrongsang lae kan borihan jatkan khoeng jit’asa phraratchathan [Structure and management of the Royal Volunteer project]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%ad%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2-%e0%b9%80%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%97%e0%b8%b3%e0%b8%84%e0%b8%a7%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%a1-%e0%b8%94%e0%b8%b5/%e0%b9%82%e0%b8%84%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%87%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%a3%e0%b9%89%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%87%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%ad%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2/
Royal Office. (2024e). Kitjakam jit’asa [Volunteer activities]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%ad%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2-%e0%b9%80%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%97%e0%b8%b3%e0%b8%84%e0%b8%a7%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%a1-%e0%b8%94%e0%b8%b5/%e0%b8%81%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%81%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%a1%e0%b8%88%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%ad%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2/
Royal Office. (2024f, March 20). Phra bat somdet phra chao yu hua song phra karuna bprot klao bprot kramom phra ratchathan ‘luk patibat phuea khwam phon thuk’ chabap thammanawa ‘Wang’ kae posaknikorn Thai [His Majesty the King has graciously bestowed the “Principles of Practice for Freedom from Suffering” in the Dhammanava “Wang” to the Thai people]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/2024/03/20/%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B2-%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87-2567/
Royal Office. (2024g, July 16). Sarakadi chaloem phrakiat “72 phansha thammaphrat maha wachiralongkorn” nueang nai okat mahamongkol chaloem phrachonnophransha 6 rob 72 phansha 28 karakada phutthasakkarat 2567 ton thi 15 [Documentary in honor of His Majesty “72nd Birthday of His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun” on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty’s 72nd birthday anniversary, 28 July 2024, episode 15]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/2024/07/16/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B5-%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2-ep15/
Royal Office. (2024h, September 2). Phra bat somdet phra chao yu hua song phra karuna bprode klao bprode kramom phra ratchathan nangsue thamma chabap thammanawa ‘Wang’ kae posaknikorn chao Thai [His Majesty the King graciously bestowed the Dharma book, Dhammanava “Wang,” to the Thai people]. Nhuai ratchakan nai phra ong [Royal Office]. Retrieved from https://www.royaloffice.th/2024/07/16/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B5-%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2-ep15/
Royal Thai Army Ordnance Department. (2024, April 29). Raiyaan sārakdī chaloem phra kīat [Documentary program in honor of His Majesty the King]. Facebook. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0WQjHEnq41KZNjWwqzPiDRVQDVcA3fzrodcUeoxjeNUptk6QJNQr8cbybfXBqQSFRl&id=100064805944249
Royal Thai Government. (2024). “Krathuang watthanatham suebsarn phra katin phra ratchathan suang ngan phra ratchapithee” [“Ministry of Culture Continues Royal Kathin Ceremony”]. Retrieved from ThaiGov. https://rb.gy/0dr59f
Royal Volunteer Administration Center. (2024). Sun amnuaykan yai jit-asa phra ratchathan [Royal Volunteer Administration Center]. Facebook. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/royaljitarsa/?locale=th_TH
Ruffles, M. (2023). What’s yours is mine: Transformation at the crown property bureau (pp. 173-204). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Rama X: The Thai Monarchy under King Vajiralongkorn. New Haven, USA: Monograph 69/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Saenkam, D., & Sangkhajan, A. (2019). Bot wikhro rat Thai kap kan patirup phutthasatsana nai samai ratchakan thi 4 lae ratchakan thi 5 [Analysis of the Thai state and Buddhist reform during the reigns of King Rama IV and King Rama V]. Warasarn rattasart lae rattaprasatsana [Journal of Political Science and Public Administration], 11(1), 141-170.
Skilling, P. (2007). King, sangha and brahmans: Ideology, ritual and power in pre-modern Siam (pp. 182-215). In I. Harris (Ed.), Buddhism, power and political Order. London, England: Routledge.
Sombatpoonsiri, J. (2023). Buddhist majoritarian nationalism in Thailand: Ideological contestation, narratives, and activism. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 53(3), 1-25.
Sopranzetti, C. (2020). The ideas of power: The challenge of legitimacy in contemporary Thailand (pp. 57-80). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Coup, king, crisis: A critical interregnum in Thailand. New Haven, USA: Monograph 68/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Sopranzetti, C. (2023). From love to fear (pp. 205-236). In Chachavalpongpun, P. (Ed.). Rama X: The Thai monarchy under King Vajiralongkorn. New Haven, USA: Monograph 69/Yale Southeast Asia Studies.
Tambiah, S. J. (1976). World conqueror and world renouncer: A study of Buddhism and polity in Thailand against a historical background. New York, USA: Cambridge University Press.
Taweesak, S. (2014). Traithatsawicharn: Khwamkhit wa duai phutthasatsana sathāban kasat lae prachathipatai khong S. Siwarak [Tri-vision criticism: Thoughts on Buddhism, monarchy, and democracy in the mind of S. Sivaraksa]. Bangkok, Thailand: Siamparitut.
Taweesak, S. (2017). Jak phutthasatsana haeng rat su phutthasatsanathi pen itthara jak rat [From state-Buddhism to state-independent Buddhism]. Bangkok, Thailand: Siamparitut.
Taweesak, S. (2018). Rat kap sàtsanà: Sīltham ammáat láe itsaràphāp [State and religion: Morality, power and freedom]. Bangkok, Thailand: Siamparitut.
Taweesak, S. (2021). Bpriabthiap karn patirup saatthana khrit-puttha lae sangkhom lokvisai [Comparing the Christian-Buddhist reforms and secular society]. Bangkok, Thailand: Siamparitut.
Taweesak, S. (2022). Amla phuttaratchatinniyom: Wipak naeo khit chatniyom baep phutth khong somdet phra phutthakhosajarn (P.A. Payutto) [Farewell to Buddhist-monarchy nationalism: Criticizing the concept of Buddhist nationalism of Somdej Phra Buddhakosajarn (P.A. Payutto)]. Bangkok, Thailand: Siamparitut.
Taweesak, S. (2024). Phutthasatsana Thai kap prachathipatai lokvissai [Thai Buddhism and secular democracy]. Bangkok. Thailand: Siamparitut.
ThaiPBS. (2024). Nuea ha thi kiew khong “Kathin Phra Ratchathan” [Content related to “royal kathin”]. ThaiPBS. Retrieved from https://www.thaipbs.or.th/tags?q=%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%90%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99
ThaiPost. (2024). Pai kamkeb: thawai phā phra khatin [Label: Offering royal kathina robes]. ThaiPost. Retrieved from https://www.thaipost.net/tag/%e0%b8%96%e0%b8%a7%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%a2%e0%b8%9c%e0%b9%89%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%9e%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%b0%e0%b8%81%e0%b8%90%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%99/
Thairath. (2024a). Botkhwām læ khāo ‘thets mahā chāt’ [Articles and news ‘Mahachat sermon’]. Thairath Online. Retrieved from https://www.thairath.co.th/tags/%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4
Thairath. (2024b). “Nai Luang” phra ratchathan phæntamnāwā “Wang” hāi wat sathān suksā rueanjam thūa prathêt [“His Majesty the King” granted Dharmanava “Wang” to temples, educational institutions, and prisons throughout the country]. Thairath. Retrieved from https://www.thairath.co.th/news/royal/2786490
The Secretariat of the Cabinet. (2022). Rai-ngan phol kan damnoen kan khroangkan jit-asa pra-rachathan [Report on the results of the Royal Volunteer project]. Samnak lekathikan khana ratthamontri [the Secretariat of the Cabinet]. Retrieved from https://resolution.soc.go.th/?prep_id=407716
The Secretariat of the Cabinet. (2025). Rai-ngan phol kan damnoen kan khongkan jit-asa phra-ratchathan [Report on the results of the Royal Volunteer project]. Samnak lekathikan khana ratthamontri [the Secretariat of the Cabinet. Retrieved from https://resolution.soc.go.th/?prep_id=412863
Ünaldi, S. (2014). Working towards the monarchy and its discontents: Anti-royal graffiti in downtown Bangkok. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 44(3), 377-403.
Unchanam, P. (2020). Royal capitalism: Wealth, class, and monarchy in Thailand. Madison, USA: University of Wisconsin Press.
Winichakul, T. (2006). A Royalist coup with ulterior motives. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/9881846/2006_A_Royalist_Coup_with_Ulterior_Motives_
Winichakul, T. (2008). Nationalism and the radical intelligentsia in Thailand. Third World Quarterly, 29(3), 575-591.
Winichakul, T. (2010). Coming to terms with the West: intellectual strategies of bifurcation and post-Westernism in Siam (pp. 135-152). In R. V. Harrison & P. A. Jackson (Eds.), The Ambiguous Allure of the West: Traces of the Colonial in Thailand (1st ed.). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press & Cornell Southeast Asia Program Publications. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1xwbmf
Winichakul, T. (2015). Buddhist apologetics and a genealogy of comparative religion in Siam. Numen, 62(1), 76-99.
