Thai king makes first appearance in more than month

The health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, is a sensitive topic in financial markets because he is the sole unifying figure in a politically polarized country with a long history of coups and upheaval.

Concerns about his health sparked a steep fall in Thai stock prices and the local baht currency on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15. Markets rebounded a day later. Investors, however, remain on edge, in part because of concerns about succession. Most of Thailand's 67 million people have lived under his 63-year reign. The king's son and presumed heir, 57-year-old Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, does not yet command his father's popular support.

A focus on the issue of royal succession would add another element of uncertainty to a polarizing four-year political crisis that has already hurt foreign investment in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

Looking frail in a light-blue short-sleeved shirt with a brown blanket over his lap, King Bhumibol was wheeled into a cordoned-off area of the hospital compound, at one point slowly raising his arm and maintaining his signature solemn expression.

He was surrounded by a medical team who helped steer his wheelchair in an appearance that lasted less than half an hour and appeared to overwhelm hundreds of supporters who bowed and pressed their hands together in a show of respect.

Strict lese majeste laws in Thailand make comment on royal matters risky. But the king's lengthy disappearance from public view had raised concern in the largely Buddhist country where many of his subjects regard him as almost divine.

The palace had issued daily evening updates on his condition since he was admitted with lung infection, fever and loss of appetite, and put on a saline drip.

Those updates, typically brief and opaque, usually said he was “good” or “satisfactory” and on the mend. Late on Thursday, the Bureau of the Royal Household said it would end the daily updates and make a statement only if his condition changed.

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