    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [November 26, 1996]
    [Pages 2154-2155]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a State Dinner in Bangkok
    November 26, 1996

        Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Privy Counselors, Prime
    Minister, members of the Cabinet, the diplomatic corps, distinguished
    guests: The First Lady and I are deeply honored by the welcome we have
    received in Thailand. We are proud to visit during the year that
    celebrates His Majesty's 50th year on the throne.
        We Americans claim a special connection with His Majesty because he
    was born in Massachusetts, where his father was studying at Harvard and
    his mother was a student at Simmons College. And of course, I feel a
    particular admiration for His Majesty, whose love of music, especially
    jazz, and whose skill on the saxophone are universally renowned. In his
    lifetime, the late Duke Ellington was called the King of Jazz. Now it
    seems to me that His Majesty can lay legitimate and literal claim to
    that title.
        Our stay here, Your Majesty, is far too brief. But we have had time
    to appreciate the wonder

    [[Page 2155]]

    of your country. Hillary saw it when she visited two northern provinces
    and shared the enchanting beauty of the ceremony of Loy Kraphong. We
    both have marveled at Bangkok, the City of Angels, where we see both the
    proud traditions of the past and the shining promise of the future.
        Your Majesty, when you addressed the United States Congress 36 years
    ago, you noted that for all the distance that divides our people, still
    one thing unites us, the love of freedom. You were right then, and you
    are right today. Thailand's struggles for liberty at home and abroad
    have inspired nations all over the world. Thailand is one of our oldest
    friends and strongest allies. The treaty the United States signed with
    the Kingdom of Siam in 1833 was the very first treaty forged by our
    young Nation with any Asian nation.
        In the last half-century we have fought side by side in Korea and
    Vietnam. We have stood together in promoting security in this region and
    around the world. Our nations have been partners in prosperity as well.
    And now we are working to build a new Pacific community where open
    societies, linked and invigorated by open markets, give their people the
    tools, the confidence, the opportunity to make the most of their own
    lives.
        Your Majesty, Thailand's growing role on the global stage is a
    fitting tribute to your leadership. You have guided Thailand through
    political crises. You have helped to secure a climate in which democracy
    can flourish. Your tireless efforts, and Her Majesty's, to advance rural
    development have been a model for all the world. Your integrity and
    devotion to your people has made you a symbol of unity and pride. To me
    it was especially telling that when your country's Olympic boxer won
    Thailand's first-ever gold medal this year in Atlanta, he strode
    triumphantly around the ring with a framed picture of you. So in
    celebrating our nations' partnership, we celebrate you as well.
        Your Majesty, our great author Somerset Maugham once said as he
    gazed at this marvelous palace complex, ``It makes you laugh with
    delight to think that anything so fantastic could exist on this somber
    Earth.'' So here, amid the brilliant colors, the heavenly spires of this
    wonderful place, the friendship between our people springs forth more
    vibrantly than ever.
        Therefore, I ask that all of you join me in a toast to that
    friendship, to our alliance, and to long life for His Majesty, the King.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:36 p.m. in the Chakri Throne Hall at the
    Grand Palace.