6° 32' 52.26??" N 101° 17' 12.41521" E—Yala, Thailand. - Permanent Geographic Coordinates on Waymarking.com

This object is a geographical marker commemorating the 72nd birthday of the King of Thailand, Rama IX, as he is known in the English speaking world. I am unaware of the existence of a list of these markers. Those I know of I have discovered in my travels in the kingdom.

This marker is located outside the main entrance of the administration building of the Yala City Municipality. This location is something of a departure from the previous markers, which have been located outside provincial halls, or in Royal parks. The small city of Yala is the capital of the Thai province of the same name, in the 'deep south' of Thailand, ~1000kms south of Bangkok.

Of note. Due to the security issues in this province (see below) the guards at the gate refused to let me enter the grounds of the city council offices. Thus I was only able to photograph the marker from the front fence, which resulted in a photograph in which not all of the coordinates are discernible. The last two, or possibly the last three, digits of the latitude are missing.

This marker is identical in appearance to the previous such markers I have come across (listed in this category), apart of course, for the coordinates. It is a apex-truncated, square pyramid (four sided pyramid with the top removed), approximately 1 metre high, dark brown in colour, a central marker on top, and with gold lettering. The combination of brown and gold is not the easiest to read.

The dedicatory year given on the marker is 2542, in the Buddhist Era, which converts to 1999 AD. For the sake of simplicity I shall use the Gregorian calendar from hereon. The King of Thailand was born in 1927. This marker commemorates 6 cycles of his life. Each cycle is 12 years, thus 1927 plus 72 gives 1999. Therefore the marker does indeed celebrate 6 cycles of the king's life, his 72nd year, in 1999.

I am unsure why a cycle has 12 years, possibly a reflection of the Thai astrological system, which does play a role in Thailand, and has 12 divisions, as does the western. I have seen the King's 72nd, 12 cycle birthday, commemorated by other means in Thailand. Clearly, it has some import.

I also gather, though I am uncertain of this, that the latitude and longitude listed on the marker is associated in some manner with the time of the King's birth. Yet, the rather high accuracy given on the marker, five decimals of an arc second, is a figure both difficult to measure and is subject to change due to continental drift. The text does mention 'GPS'. If the position was determined via the global positioning system, the pseduo-accuracy given is far greater than can be supported by this method. This being the case, the accuracy given can be taken as no more than a gesture of respect.



ADVISORY: For the last few years and decades there has been an ongoing insurgency in the Muslim populated provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat (the 'deep south' of Thailand). An average of 600 people (out of a pop. of 1.6 million) have been killed per year between 2004-9. The Australian government strongly urges its citizens not to visit these provinces: "do not travel". Having said all of this there is no blood on the streets, and life goes on normally for the vast majority of people. You have been advised.

Type of structure: Structure Difference between the post coordinates and your GPSr reading: Negligible. Reason for the coordinates: Celebration of the 72nd birthday of the King of Thailand.

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