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Thailand fears of chaos if King Bhumibol dies
The Times - October 17, 2009
Richard Lloyd Parry – Concerns mounted about the health of the King of Thailand and the political chaos that could follow the death of the world's longest-reigning monarch.
Thailand's financial markets plunged this week, indicating the uncertainty that many people feel about the country should Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81, who has been in hospital for three weeks apparently with pneumonia, not recover. He was admitted to Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok on September 19, reportedly suffering from a mild fever and loss of appetite.
The Committee of Royal Physicians has issued bulletins on his health, emphasising his successful treatment and slow but steady recovery.
The reports have been vague and the doctors appear to have been late in owning up to the nature of the king's illness. At the end of last month, his doctors began to talk of lung inflammation and on Thursday the Thai media reported references to pneumonia.
"His majesty's condition is improving and he does not need further medical treatment other than physical therapy, which may take a long time," an official in the Bureau of the Royal Household told Reuters.
Thais depend heavily on the king. He is a symbol of the state without a direct political role. In practice, he is one of the most powerful men in the country and the focus of an intense personality cult.
He is protected by a lese-majeste law that punishes any perceived insult to the monarchy with jail. A woman opposition activist was sentenced last month to 18 years in prison for a peaceful speech that was taken to be a slur upon the king.
King Bhumibol does not often make interventions into politics, but when he has appealed for national unity his words have carried a moral authority that none can question. In a time of political turmoil in Thailand that has caused violent clashes between followers of the deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and their "Yellow Shirt" opponents, the king is regarded as a symbol of stability.
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