Dec 5, 2007, 5:16 GMT
Bangkok - Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej marked his 80th birthday Wednesday with an oft-repeated call for unity in his deeply divided kingdom in an unusual public appearance before cabinet ministers, civil servants and tens of thousands of well-wishers.
A Royal Household Bureau handout photo shows Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej (L) waving to the crowd with Thai Queen Sirikit (R) as he grants an audience at the Royal Ceremony on his 80th birthday celebration on the balcony of the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall at the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand, 05 December 2007. EPA/ROYAL HOUSEHOLD BUREAU
'If everyone in the country resolves to live in harmony, this will bring benefits and happiness for themselves and the public,' the king said in a brief birthday speech. 'Our country will have normalcy and stability, which will lead to further progress, as we all wish.'
The king delivered a similar message at his annual birthday-eve speech Tuesday night at Chitralada Palace, where he warned that the country faced 'disaster' if people were not united.
On his past birthdays, which are national holidays in Thailand, the king has not made public appearances after delivering his birthday-eve speech.
Bhumibol's repeated calls for unity come at a time when the Thai public has been deeply divided politically.
Thailand experienced a military coup on September 19, 2006, which overthrew elected prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom the generals accused of massive corruption, dividing the nation and threatening the monarchy.
After being under an appointed interim government for the past 15 months, Thailand was scheduled to hold a general election on December 23 to return power to the people.
Many fear that the country would be thrown back into political chaos in the aftermath of the polls if political parties loyal to Thaksin return to power, as is likely, leading to yet another military coup.
Thaksin's lingering popularity, especially among Thailand's rural poor, is deemed a challenge to the Bangkok-based elite comprising the military, the bureaucracy and some well-established business groups.
Another worry for the future is the king's frail health. Bhumibol was released from hospital November 7 after receiving treatment for nearly four weeks for insufficient blood flow to the brain.
On Tuesday night, the king joked that although he was 80, he was still 'young and strong.'
His two public appearances Tuesday and Wednesday testified that the octogenarian monarch is still fit although he now walks with a cane. On Wednesday, the king sat on a balcony of the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall, flanked by his wife, Queen Sirikit, and members of the royal family above the entire Thai cabinet, hundreds of civil servants and members of high society in the courtyard below with thousands of ordinary Thais lined up outside the palace to catch a glimpse of their monarch.
Included in the select courtyard audience were 100 ordinary Thais who had been chosen on account of the good deeds they had done in their lifetime, such as Samri Malai, a 62-year-old man who has swept the roads in his village for free for the past 20 years.
The ceremony to honour the king was launched by Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, who praised his father and promised to emulate him.
'I am lucky to have been a Thai under such a charismatic king,' the prince said.
The royal family drove to the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall from their residences at Chitralada Palace in a convoy that passed more than 100,000 Thais who lined the road to cheer, 'Long live the king.'
The royal birthday is to end Wednesday night as thousands of Thais gather outside Chitralada Palace to hold a candlelight ceremony for the king.
Bhumibol, who marked his 60th year on the Thai throne in June 2006, is the world's longest reigning monarch.
Under Thailand's constitution, the monarch is the head of state with few political powers, but over the past six decades, Bhumibol has become a powerful moral force for the Thai nation.
The king, who ascended the throne in 1946 at a time when the monarchy had lost much of its majesty, has restored the institution as one of the key pillars of Thai society by demonstrating devotion to his people, especially the poor, in thousands of royally sponsored development projects.
At times of past political crisis, the king has stepped in to offer counsel, leading to peaceful resolutions.
'Without his majesty's guiding hand, we would not be where we are today - a nation which has invariably demonstrated its inner strength, political resilience, social harmony and economic dynamism - a trait which has enabled the Thais to survive many a threat and misfortune in their long history,' former Thai prime minister Anand Panyarachun said in a recent speech.
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