BANGKOK, Oct 16 — The health of Thailand’s 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is improving and he is not in danger, his youngest daughter Princess Chulabhorn said today.
“Physical therapy is needed to help him stand up and walk which would need a little time. That is why he needs to continue staying in hospital, but doctors say there is no danger,” the princess told Thai nationals in Germany in comments broadcast on Thai television.
“He now can eat normally and quite a lot, compared with initially, when he had to be fed intravenously.”
The comment was the first by a royal family member about the condition of King Bhumibol, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, since he was admitted to hospital on Sept 19, suffering from fever, fatigue and weak appetite. The Bureau of the Royal Household this week said he was recovering from pneumonia.
The king, Thailand’s single unifying figure, is regarded as semi-divine by many of the country’s 67 million people. His health is an extremely sensitive topic.
Thai stocks plunged a combined 7.2 per cent on Wednesday and yesterday on concerns about the king’s health, but rebounded 3.5 per cent today. — Reuters
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