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His Majesty the King delivered a short, but memorable birthday speech in the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall.

His Majesty the King appears in the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall at the Grand Palace to receive best wishes on his 83rd birthday yesterday. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD BUREAU

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A birthday to remember

Message of solidarity received by millions

His Majesty the King has advised all Thais to perform their duties and be always mindful to prevent the downfall of the country.

In his 83rd birthday speech delivered in the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall yesterday, His Majesty called on his subjects to honour their duties and do their best for the sake of national security and interest.

''Reckless acts can cause mistakes and damage in duties,'' the King said. ''Actions without mindfulness, reason and morality can mislead people into doing what are not their legitimate duties. That is very dangerous and can cause loss and downfall of themselves and the nation.''

The royal message was delivered to a gathering of members of the royal family, heads of the executive, legislative and judicial branches, top military leaders and dignitaries who gathered at the Grand Palace to wish the King a happy birthday.

Their Majesties the King and Queen had travelled from Siriraj Hospital earlier in the day for the royal function to mark his birthday.

Thousands of people waving flags cheered as the royal motorcade passed along the way. Their Majesties, who were riding in a van, responded by waving to the well-wishers.

The King was greeted in the Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall at the Grand Palace by a guard of honour. A brass band played the royal anthem and the armed forces gave a 21-gun salute.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and parliament president Chai Chidchob delivered birthday wishes before the King.

Yesterday was the first time the military ceremony, normally performed separately at the Royal Plaza during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, was incorporated into the function at the Grand Palace. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD BUREAU

Supreme commander Songkitti Jaggabatara led the royal guards in pledging their allegiance to His Majesty. It was the first time the military ceremony, normally performed separately at the Royal Plaza during the Trooping the Colour ceremony, was incorporated into the function at the Grand Palace.

His Majesty responded by expressing his gratitude and pointed out that the country was stable and peaceful because all did their duty and placed the national interest before all else.

The royals left the Grand Palace to return to Siriraj Hospital at 11.20am.

throne – a special chair used by a king or queen to sit on at ceremonies ราชบัลลังก์
hall – a building or large room for public meetings, meals, concerts, etc หอประชุม
Amarin Winitchai Throne Hall –  พระที่นั่งอมรินทรวินิจฉัยมไหยสูรยพิมาน
courtesy of – with the official permission of somebody/something and as a favour
Royal Household Bureau – an agency of the Monarchy of Thailand, responsible for the upkeep of the royal palaces, royal ceremonies, public relations and the management of the royal finances สำนักพระราชวัง
solidarity – agreement between and support for the members of a group  ความเป็นน้ำหนึ่งใจเดียว ความสามัคคี
advise – to tell somebody what you think they should do in a particular situation แนะนำ, แจ้ง
duty – something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do หน้าที่, ความรับผิดชอบ
mindful – remembering somebody/something and considering them or it when you do something สำนึก, ใจจดใจจ่อ    
downfall – the loss of a person's money, power, social position, etc; the thing that causes this ความหายนะ,  ความตกต่ำ, ความล่มสลาย
subject – a person who has the right to belong to a particular country, especially one with a king or queen ประชากร, ผู้อยู่ภายใต้การปกครอง
for the sake of – for the benefit or good of someone or something เพื่อ
interest – an advantage or benefit to someone or something ผลประโยชน์
reckless – not thinking about the possible bad effects of your actions สะเพร่า
reason – a fact that makes it right or fair to do something; the power of the mind to think in a logical way, to understand and have opinions, etc  ความมีเหตุผล, การใช้เหตุผล
morality – principles of right or wrong behaviour ความดีงาม, ความมีศีลธรรมจรรยา, ความมีคุณธรรม
mislead – to make someone believe something that is incorrect or not true ชักนำไปในทางที่ผิด
legitimate – reasonable and acceptable ถูกต้องสมควร
executive branch – the part of the government that has the power and responsibility for the daily working of government agencies ฝ่ายบริหารของรัฐบาล
legislative branch – the part of government responsible for creating new laws สภานิติบัญญัติ
judicial branch – the part of a country's government which is responsible for its legal system and which consists of all the judges in the country's courts of law คณะตุลาการ, คณะผู้พิพากษา
dignitary – a person who has an important official position บุคคลที่มีตำแหน่งสูง, ผู้มีฐานะสูงส่ง
function – a social event or official ceremony งาน,พิธี
mark– to celebrate something; to show respect for or to remember เพื่อเฉลิมฉลอง ระลึกถึง
motorcade – a group of cars traveling with someone very important ขบวนรถ (ขบวนรถพระที่นั่ง)
well-wisher – a person who expresses their good wishes or sympathy, often to someone who they do not know ผู้ปรารถนาดีต่อผู้อื่น
royal anthem – an official song for the King of Thailand (royal anthem) สรรเสริญพระบารมี
salute – a formal signal make to show respect to someone, in this case, the firing of 21 guns ยิงสลุต
supreme – most important, or most powerful สูงสุด
commander – the head of an army or army unit ผู้บังคับบัญชา
pledge – to make a serious promise to do something สัญญา
allegiance – strong loyalty to a person, group, idea or country ความจงรักภักดี
Trooping of the Colour ceremony – a ceremony featuring all three branches of the armed forces to celebrate the birthday of the King of Thailand and pledging the loyalty of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to the monarch, normally taking place in the Royal Plaza at Bangkok, Thailand พิธีสวนสนามทหารราชวัลลภ
incorporate – to include as part of something larger  ซึ่งรวมเข้าเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกัน
gratitude – a feeling of being grateful to someone because they have given you something or have done something for you ความรู้สึกขอบคุณ
stable – not changing frequently and not likely to suddenly become worse  คงที่, มั่นคง

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