CNN reports the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother

According to CNN, Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, known for her royal projects aimed at helping the rural poor, preserving traditional crafts, and protecting the environment, passed away on Friday at the age of 93.

The Royal Household Bureau confirmed her passing at a hospital in Bangkok, after she had been battling a blood infection since October 17. Despite the efforts of her medical team, her condition did not improve.

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother had been largely absent from the public eye in recent years due to declining health. Her husband, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, passed away in October 2016. 

Although overshadowed by her late husband and son, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Queen Sirikit was beloved and influential in her own right. Her portrait adorned homes, offices, and public spaces across Thailand, and her birthday on August 12 was celebrated as Mother’s Day.

She was instrumental in initiatives ranging from aiding Cambodian refugees to preserving Thailand’s rapidly vanishing forests. In the early years of her marriage to King Bhumibol, the couple frequently traveled abroad to strengthen diplomatic ties. 

However, by the early 1970s, they shifted their focus to addressing Thailand’s internal issues, including rural poverty, opium addiction among hill tribes, and the communist insurgency. 

Each year, they visited rural areas, often attending more than 500 royal, religious, and state ceremonies.

Queen Sirikit often donned fine attire, and she enjoyed traveling to remote villages, where thousands would approach her with their concerns, from marital disputes to serious health issues. She once told the Associated Press (AP) in 1979: “People in rural Thailand say they are neglected, and we try to fill that gap by staying with them in remote areas.”

In 1976, she established SUPPORT, which trained thousands in skills like silk weaving, jewellery making, painting, ceramics, and other traditional crafts to support rural livelihoods and preserve Thailand’s cultural heritage.

The Queen Mother, sometimes referred to as the "Green Queen," also championed wildlife conservation, setting up breeding centres, "open zoos," and hatcheries to protect endangered sea turtles. Her "Forest Loves Water" and "Little House in the Forest" projects sought to demonstrate the economic benefits of preserving forests and water sources.

While the role of royalty elsewhere is largely ceremonial, Queen Sirikit believed that the monarchy was a vital institution in Thailand. In an interview with the AP, she said, “There are some in the universities who think the monarchy is obsolete. But I think Thailand needs an understanding monarch.” 

She added, “At the call, ‘The king is coming,’ thousands will gather. The mere word king has something magic in it. It is wonderful.”