Thai king's illness leaves countrymen anxious

Concern for his well-being reflects the reverence and affection the Thai public holds for the king, who ascended to the throne in 1946 and is the world's longest-serving head of state. But of equal yet generally unspoken concern to Thais — most of whom have known no other monarch — is the question of what lies ahead in the post-Bhumibol era, whenever it comes.

Thailand is still reeling from more than three years of almost constant and sometimes violent political turmoil and there is worry about what effect the loss of the king would have.

Bhumibol checked into Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital on Sept. 19 with fever, fatigue and lack of appetite. Terse daily statements from the royal palace insist he is in no danger and is now recovering from inflammation of the lungs.

But that is a symptom of pneumonia, and investors last week registered their skepticism with a short but sharp sell-off of shares on the Thai stock market. In 2007, Bhumibol was hospitalized for three weeks with symptoms of a minor stroke, and last December he was unable to make his traditional birthday speech due to what was said to be inflammation of the esophagus.

Partisans of Thaksin Shinawatra, the elected prime minister ousted by a 2006 military coup, continue a bitter battle for power with his opponents.

Last year saw protesters occupy the prime minister's offices for three months, and seize Bangkok's two airports for a week. This year, other demonstrators forced the premature termination of a summit meeting of Asian leaders, and rioting in the Thai capital had to be quashed by the army.

The government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva now routinely invokes an emergency law to allow the military to deal with protest rallies.

"I am praying for his good health. What would happen to this country, who would put an end to this division, if he doesn't?" 29-year-old nurse Nisara Lertchaiwattana said of the king.

"Thailand has been peaceful as long as he has been king. It's not perfect but we are happy. I don't know what will happen next and I don't want to think about it."

But with no end to the political turbulence in sight, the prospect of losing Bhumibol threatens a crisis of its own. He has traditionally served as the country's only trusted conciliator in times of crisis even though he is a constitutional monarch with moral authority rather than legal powers.

The king's 57-year-old son and heir apparent, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, does not yet have that moral authority or the popularity of his father, known for his hard work and diligence.

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