CNN journalist’s show of respect warms hearts

One side in the Thai political divide has in the past regarded the Western media with disdain, for reasons that should be obvious enough. And that makes it all the more remarkable that CNN correspondent Will Ripley has been praised by this particular camp for his coverage of the Kingdom’s biggest story. Clearly, small gestures of cultural sensitivity can have a big impact.

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Ripley’s live report from outside Siriraj Hospital on October 13, just minutes after the news emerged that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej had died, demonstrated the correspondent’s utmost personal respect for the monarch and the Thai people. 
He told viewers that, everywhere he looked, he was seeing genuine grief. 
He offered no speculation or analysis, but merely encapsulated what was transpiring around him.
For journalists, there is a thin line between being aggressive – a trait often associated with professionalism – and being culturally intrusive. Thais’ profound love and reverence for the King have fuelled some reactions that foreign foreigners might find difficult to understand. Ripley mitigated any potential risk of mistranslating the reactions that evening simply by being straightforward.
In his report for CNN on the general situation in Thailand, he mentioned the law that protects the monarchy from being denigrated, but then stressed, “Regardless of outside criticism, the nearly universal adoration Thais feel for their late King is undeniably palpable – and unparalleled in the modern world.”

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/willripleynews/
With those words Ripley managed to sum up one of the most important aspects (one little understood abroad) of what it is to be Thai – the fact that the people’s love for His Majesty is not only very real but also unique in the world. 
Several foreign embassies seem to struggle to comprehend this, making incorrect interpretations in the messages they issued in the wake of the King’s death, at considerable diplomatic expense.
Ripley appeared genuinely moved when one of the mourners he interviewed corrected him, saying His Majesty was not a “living god”, but rather a beloved father. 
It was an important moment for the millions looking on, because there’s a vast difference between the two concepts, and failure to understand it leads to misinterpretation of the reasons why Thais adore the late King. The truth is that what Thais give to the King, and what he gave to them, has come straight from the heart.
No law can force Thais and their King to love and care about each other. That affection, that devotion, is borne of faith, trust and gratitude, as firm as any family bond. The laws of the land are mundane things, routinely violated. The law might elevate a man to high stature for 10 or 20 or 30 years, but never for 70 years. He represented our very culture and will continue to do so, and culture must always be treated with grave sensitivity.
What transpires next, as far as outsiders are concerned, remains to be seen. Many foreigners have expressed awe at the magnitude of our grief and our demonstrations of love. Among them, Ripley might be the exception or the rule, but either way it doesn’t change what he has witnessed here and reported to the world.
Cultural sensitivity is easy to preach but difficult to practise. People tend to be suspicious of the unfamiliar. Let us recall the King himself visiting a ramshackle rural home in Chiang Mai decades ago. Seated on an old mat, he was offered a drink in an old cup. He drank it without hesitation, not knowing what was in it.