King Of Thailand Sues For Peace, Unity As He Celebrates 86th Birthday

King of
Thailand
Bhumibol
Adulyadej
has asked
the nation
to work
together
for
stability, as protests give way to celebrations as
people marked the highly respected monarch’s
birthday.
Cheering crowds lined the streets to celebrate the
86th birthday of Thailand’s revered king near his
seaside palace on Thursday, an event marked with
a lull in tensions after violent political protests
against the regime of Yingluck Shinawatra.
“To bring happiness to this country, everyone has
to do the right thing,” the king said in his brief
address.
“We have our duty and we all know our roles. For
the benefit of our country, Thai people must be
aware and must pay attention to this duty, for the
good of the nation and its security.”
Thailand remains on edge following days of street
clashes between police and protesters bent on
overthrowing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
and curbing the political influence of her brother
Thaksin who was ousted in 2006.
Protesters and police in Bangkok observed a
temporary truce Wednesday in a dramatic move
ahead of the birthday celebrations for King
Bhumibol, who is treated as a near-deity by many
Thais.
Images broadcast live on all Thai television stations
showed a sea of yellow, as thousands of people
lined the streets wearing the colour associated with
the king in the central coastal town of Hua Hin,
where he has lived since leaving hospital in August.
Weeping supporters shouted “long live the King!”
and waved Thai national flags as the royal convoy
made a brief tour of the town’s streets before
returning to the palace.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn made a speech
to begin the formal birthday ceremony, which was
presided over by the frail monarch and attended by
dignitaries including Yingluck and the country’s
military heads.
Thailand has been periodically rocked by
sometimes bloody unrest since former premier
Thaksin was deposed by royalist generals in a coup
seven years ago.
Demonstrators cleaned up a key rally site in old
Bangkok in preparation for the birthday festivities,
vowing to pause in reverence on Thursday but to
resume their street action on Friday.
King Bhumibol, the world’s longest-serving
monarch, has suffered from a range of ailments in
recent years, but left the Bangkok hospital where he
had lived since 2009 to move to his palace in Hua
Hin with Queen Sirikit earlier this year.
Any political action or violence on his birthday would
be viewed as a serious sign of disrespect.