Bangkok, December 05: Thailand’s revered king left a Bangkok hospital on Saturday, according to an AFP reporter at the scene, to attend a ceremony at the royal palace to mark his 82nd birthday.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch who is regarded as a demi-god by many Thais, was pushed in a wheelchair through the hospital grounds, wearing the customary full white royal uniform.
The king, followed by his family, raised his hand to wave at a crowd of thousands of people who had gathered, wearing pink for good luck, to greet the revered monarch. They shouted: “Long live the king.”
Bangkok resident, 74-year-old Thanom Chumpoo, said she had been visiting the hospital every day, hoping the king would make an appearance.
“I am glad that he is recovered. I am so overwhelmed to see him and want him to live forever to guard us,” she told AFP with a beaming smile.
The king was admitted to Bangkok’s Siriraj hospital on September 19 with a lung infection and fever. He has appeared twice in public since being admitted.
The birthday of King Bhumibol, who is considered a unifying force in a politically turbulent nation, is marked by a public holiday and celebrated by Thais across the kingdom with fireworks and Buddhist rituals.
But his annual speech on the eve of his birthday was officially postponed by the royal household on Monday, along with a military parade due to be held Wednesday.
His son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is due to represent his father at Buddhist ceremonies on Saturday evening and Sunday, and will preside over a garden party for diplomats on December 8.
—Agencies