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[i]Royal Speech from Rama IV, King of Siam[/i]

This year is one filled with sorrows. The tides of war threaten to swamp the world in malice and hatred. Brothers find themselves at the end of each other's rifles. Sons and fathers march against each other. Even Siam is not immune from tragedy. Today, on September 9, 1861 of the Gregorian calender, my dearest wife, Queen Debsirindra, has passed away at the tender age of 28 during childbirth. Although young, I can confidently say that my Queen had lived her life to the fullest. According to the teachings of Buddha, to be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. 

My Queen, a representative and leader of the Mon people, did her best to protect her people and provide for them when the Kingdom of Siam accepted them as refugees from the Kingdom of Ava, also known as Burma, where the government went through a systematic ethnic cleansing of the Mon people. Although many Mon people now safely reside in Siam or in British owned southern Burma, there are still some Mon people who reside in the borders of Burma, and are still targeted and discriminated against. In memory of my wise, diligent, wife, I, Rama IV, King of Siam, vow to continue the cause of my wife and to help and protect the Mon people as if they were my own children. To the leaders of the world, this year has brought much despair and suffering. It is the duty of the Lord to protect the happiness of his people. I pray that the blood-thirst that seems to propagating throughout the world will cease soon, and that the world will achieve a new state of peace and happiness.