Writer: AFP
Published: 23/09/2009 at 12:01 AM
Thailand’s widely revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, was in hospital for a fourth day on Tuesday where his fever eased further, the palace said.
Thailand’s widely-revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej has remained in a Bangkok hospital for a fourth day after being diagnosed with a fever, fatigue and loss of appetite.
The 81-year-old king has been in a Bangkok hospital since Saturday night when he was put on a drip and given antibiotics after being diagnosed with fever, fatigue and loss of appetite.
“Over the past 24 hours His Majesty’s fever reduced. But he still has a lack of appetite and the medical team is still giving him antibiotics and nutrients intravenously,” the royal household said in a statement read on television.
Thousands of Thais have come to Bangkok’s Siriraj hospital since Saturday to sign a book for well-wishers, officials said.
The ex-wife of Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s deposed former prime minister, went to the hospital on Tuesday with a bunch of white flowers to offer her wishes for the king’s recovery, witnesses said.
The health of King Bhumibol is a highly sensitive topic in Thailand, which has been rocked by three years of protests, riots and political chaos since billionaire Thaksin was toppled in a coup.
The king is a constitutional monarch but has projected an image as the only unifying figure in the country throughout his 63-year reign. In the 1970s and again in 1992 he ordered military regimes to end bloody crackdowns.
King Bhumibol was diagnosed as suffering from “mild fever” in December as he celebrated his birthday, causing him to cancel his annual birthday eve speech.
*Bron: Bangkok Post / www.bangkokpost.com *
