The king’s health and his hospital appearance

Following up on our posts of last week, PPT notes a report in The Nation (23 October 2009: “His Majesty ‘stable’ as crowds extend their best wishes”) that cites the  Royal Household Bureau as saying that the king is stable.

Apparently designed to give assurances that the king is recovering, the report states that his “physical strength has increased. His sleep and food intake is normal…”. It adds that he continues to take antibiotics. Recall that the king has been in hospital for more than 4 weeks, and presumably was ill before his hospitalization.

Then the Royal Household Bureau says that “it would no longer issue a statement on His Majesty’s conditions on a daily basis” adding: “We will issue a statement again when His Majesty’s conditions change…”.

Given the panic last week, this would seem an odd strategy, especially if the the plan is to reassure people. No bulletins seem like fertile grounds for rumors unless they plan to release the aged king within a day or so.

Update 1: Bangkok Pundit has some comments and questions based on what stock market analysts and the international press are reporting.

But also note that, as PPT said above, this strategy of not giving bulletins would make sense if the king was to be released shortly. He has now appeared outside the hospital. Matichon has a series of photos. and a story. The Bangkok Post also has a story in breaking news and the Nation has a short story and a series of pictures at its website.

Of course, the essential question remains. Is Thailand ready for the king’s death and succession? Based on recent events, it seems that these events may precipitate a crisis that could be political and economic. These recent events will have caused the military to rethink its strategy for succession. As self-proclaimed protectors of the monarchy and as the major political force behind the current government, it would seem that their responses are likely to be pivotal. That is not a good sign for democratic development.

Update 2: The Times (23 October 2009: “Thais wheel out King Bhumibol Adulyadej to quash death rumours”) has some useful commentary.  This is an interesting suggestion: “Emotionally and politically, Thais depend on their King like no other people in the world. Constitutionally, he is a symbol of the state without any direct political role, but 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 harsh lese majeste law which punishes any perceived “insult” to the monarchy with a prison sentence of up to 15 years.”

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