WE Smile Magazine October 2017

043
e took a direct flight from Bangkok to Narathiwat,
to the house of a local man with a passion for
photography, Khun Chamroen Wattanayakorn.
Khun Chamroen accompanied HM the late King
Bhumibol and took photographs of Him for 36 years, from 1959-
1995. Even though Khun Chamroen has since passed away, his
memories remain within the photographs. On the day of our visit,
Khun Kitipapha Wattanayakorn (Oh), Khun Chamroen’s sixth
child who received and bid farewell to King Rama IX since she
was five spoke to us. At one time, Khun Oh gave up everything,
including her job, in order to scan some 180 rolls of film. She
then arranged them by event category and year. This is how she
has come to love and treasure these photographs.
WeSmile: Please tell us about your father’s role as a
photographer
Kitipapha: “It started in 1959, when King Rama IX visited
Pattani and Narathiwat. Father went to take the King’s photos.
During the construction of Thaksin Ratchaniwet Palace, my
father was still a manager at Nakorn Luang Bank and a member
of the provincial committee tasked with finding a place to
build the palace. He took pictures of the palace throughout its
construction. When the construction was completed, the King
came to view the palace for the first time. He came again in
1974. As photography was his favourite pastime, my father went
to take photos of the King every day. On some of the film rolls,
father rubber-stamped his name. On others, he wrote “please
handle with care.”
Were there any memorial events when your family received
the King and bade him farewell when he visited
Narathiwat?
“The first time I received the King was in 1967. I was five. Father
asked the three of us if we wanted to receive the King, and he
warned that it would be hot and that we had to wait for a long
time. I was the first to say yes. After that, I received the King
every year.
In the early years, father drove a Falcon. But the car
couldn’t go into deep water. After that he bought a secondhand
Land Rover so he could go anywhere with the King on his
royal duties. Back in the day, when the King’s car, which the
King himself drove, left the palace gate, everyone had to be on
standby. Whenever we went with him on his royal duties, we
saw how people lived. In some villages, there was only one well
or outbreaks of elephantiasis or leprosy. One time, I saw HRH
Princess Chulabhorn and HM the Queen writing down the names
of the people who came to be treated for various diseases. They
would record patient information in detail until night fell”.
Can we call Khun Chamroen the King’s personal
photographer?
“He wasn’t one. But the Secretary General to the Southern
Border Provinces Administrative Center once told me
that, when HRH Princess Sirindhorn visited the center in
September 2016, she viewed the photos taken by my father.
The princess complemented father, saying Khun Chamroen
always accompanied the King and took his photos, like a Royal
Photographer. He said that the princess talked about father
twice, while viewing the exhibition and at the dining table at
her residence. It was such a great honour for our family.”
Speaking to you, it seems Khum Chamroen taught his
children to be loyal to the Monarchy.
“Yes, our parents taught us to love every member of the Royal
Family. When I was young, it pained me to see HRH Princess
Chulabhorn carry out her royal duties. Despite her health,
she went on a plane in her university uniform. HM the Queen
herself often asked the motorcade to stop so she could step out
to collect climbing ferns. The motorcade was always on a dirt
road. That was how the Queen’s art project came about”.
How can you remember so many things in such great
detail, especially the years?
“After accompanying the King and taking His photographs,
my father would have the rolls of film developed immediately.
By evening, he could tell us about what the King did the day
before. It was his way of teaching us. With this, we came to
learn about the events day by day”.
After 36 years, Chamroen stopped taking the King’s
photos. Why was that?
“Before the Golden Jubilee, the King had not visited Narathiwat
in a long time. When He came to the province, my father’s
health was starting to deteriorate. That said, he still went to
receive the King on his wheelchair. When the King saw him,
he asked what was wrong. I told His Majesty that my father
suffered from an artery disease. The King then leaned forward
and touched father’s left hand, saying to him, ‘Get well soon.’
Tears welled up in our eyes. We prostrated ourselves at his feet
on so many occasions before, but this was different. We did it
with our heads touching his feet. It was the greatest honour of
our lives”.
Chamroen Wattanayakorn, the unofficial Royal
Photographer, at the dining table of HRH Princess Sirindhorn,
passed away at the age of 78. Nevertheless, numerous
historical photos—taken with black-and-white film, colour
film, and reversal film—have been well preserved to this day.