The United Nations on Friday night paid tribute to the HM King Bhumibol in a special assembly which saw Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, president of General Assembly Peter Thomson and five regional chairpersons deliver speeches hailing the King’s selfless dedication for the betterment of the livelihood of the Thai people and remarkable achievements during his 70-year reign.
Ban praised HM the King as a visionary leader and a humanitarian who stabilized Thailand during times of political turmoil and crises.
He said HM the King’s commitment to sustainable development had earned the monarch the first UN Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
He offered his profound condolences to the Royal Family and the Thai people for the passing of their beloved and revered King.
Thai permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Veerachai Plasai thanked the UN and representatives of countries for honoring HM the King. He said that, throughout the 70-year reign, the King worked tirelessly to better the livelihood of the Thai people and to upgrade the status of Thailand for an under-developed country to that of an upper middle-income country with over 4,000 royally-sponsored projects.
Ambassador Veerachai said that HM the King worked extremely hard during the past 50 years to solve narcotic problem and to phase out opium poppy cultivation.
