HONG KONG -- The demise of Nepal's 240-year-old monarchy reduces the number of royal families in Asia with official roles to little more than a handful.
Following is a summary of royals who remain:
BHUTAN: Bhutan formally ended an absolute monarchy in April with the direct election of a parliament under a new constitution that relegates the king to a largely ceremonial role.
That path began in 2001 when former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck handed over day-to-day government tasks to a council of ministers, finally stepping down in late 2006 in favor of his son, the Oxford-educated King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Since then, they have travelled the country promoting democracy to a public that revered the monarchy and was skeptical about direct elections.
BRUNEI: Brunei is a Malay Muslim absolute monarchy ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who last year celebrated 40 years on the throne. He is prime minister, defense minister, finance minister and head of Islam.
Western diplomats have said he is a hard-working ruler in touch with the people.
CAMBODIA: Cambodia remains a constitutional monarchy and its current king, Norodom Sihamoni, maintains a quiet ceremonial reign.
The classically trained ballet dancer and ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization spent most of his life in Paris before his father Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in 2004.
In his retirement, Sihanouk remains the moral anchor for the country and a frequent commentator on its political upheavals.
JAPAN: Japan's imperial family, believed to be the oldest dynasty in the world, enjoys warm public affection. With no political role to play, public duties are focused on community visits and meeting foreign dignitaries.
However, conservatives and many politicians still show significant respect to the royal family, who were deified until Japan's defeat in World War II.
Traditionalists believe the imperial family has descended from a male line dating back more than 2,600 years, while historians agree the lineage dates back from at least the sixth century AD.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia has had an elected monarchy since winning independence from Britain in 1957. In a unique arrangement, the kingship rotates among the rulers of the nine Malaysian states still headed by royalty.
The king commands great respect from Malaysians, especially the majority ethnic Malays, who maintain a loyalty to rulers whose lineage can be traced back to Malay sultanates from the 15th century.
His duties are largely ceremonial, but the current king -- Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin -- has got involved in some high-profile political tussles which analysts say is a symptom of the coalition government's weakness.
The king is the symbolic head of Islam and nominal chief of the military. Acting upon cabinet advice, he signs bills into law and appoints ministers, judges and ambassadors.
THAILAND: Eighty-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej has few legal powers but enjoys great loyalty from his subjects, who treat him with an almost religious devotion.
He is the world's longest-reigning monarch with 61 years on the throne, and is seen as a steadying presence in an often unstable country, outlasting about 20 Thai prime ministers, 16 constitutions and at least as many coups.
Despite carving out a position of strict neutrality in politics, the king has occasionally intervened, ordering one prime minister to leave the country in 1973 and publicly criticizing lawmakers for failing to maintain stability.
King Bhumibol is also protected by some of the world's strictest laws on lese majeste -- any disrespect of the royal family can be punished by up to 15 years in prison.
TONGA: King Siaosi Tupou V was proclaimed king of the semi-feudal Pacific nation on September 11, 2006 following the death of his father. Tonga is a constitutional monarchy and criticism of the monarch is held to be contrary to local culture and etiquette.
(extracted from:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080529-139576/Asias-dwindling-band-of-royal-families
)
No comments:
Post a Comment