The Thai government sought to quell speculation as concern about the health of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej drove down stocks and the baht Wednesday and sparked chatter on social media.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha cut short a provincial trip to return to Bangkok "in order to prepare for an audience with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for a routine presentation on the government's work in progress," Prayuth's office said in a statement. It urged Thais "to rely on official announcements for an update on situations, rather than uncorroborated information in social media circles."
Prayuth isn't planning any statement Wednesday, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said, without discussing the subject of any rumors. Late Wednesday afternoon, Prayuth waved to reporters and said "Go home, go home!"
The Thai baht fell and stocks dropped for a third day after the royal palace said Sunday that Bhumibol's health was "unstable." #LongLiveTheKing was the top trending topic on Twitter in Thailand Wednesday, with more than 240,000 tweets depicting the monarch at various stages of his life. Posts showed Thais holding portraits of Bhumibol and photos of him meeting with his people or playing music.
The 88-year-old monarch has been a symbol of unity in Thailand, which has had 10 coups during his seven-decade reign.
In a statement Wednesday night, the Royal Palace said the king's overall condition remained unstable. His blood pressure had declined further and his heart rate had increased, while treatment carried out indicated an infection and abnormal liver function, it said in the statement. The king was on various medications and a ventilator, and had been given renal treatment.
Prayuth returned to Bangkok to greet Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Sansern said. Vajiralongkorn, 64, is the king's designated heir. Prayuth, a former army chief, became prime minister after leading a May 2014 coup that deposed the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, whose brother Thaksin Shinawatra was also ousted by the military in 2006.
The baht fell 1 percent against the dollar after dropping as much as 1.5 percent. The SET Index retreated as much as 6.9 percent before closing 2.5 percent lower. The stock gauge has dropped 6.5 percent this week, the most among about 100 benchmark share indexes tracked by Bloomberg.
The king has been hospitalized since May 2015 and has been treated in recent months for hydrocephalus, a condition characterized by increased fluid in the cranium. In an Oct. 9 statement, the Royal Palace said his overall health status was unstable and doctors were closely monitoring his condition. On Oct. 1, the palace had said his condition had improved following a lung infection.
The Washington Post
Thu Oct 13 2016
SDG: UTP lahir pelajar berkemahiran, tinggi tanggungjawab sosial
UTP berhasrat mendidik pelajar bukan sahaja untuk mahir dalam aspek teknikal tetapi juga untuk menjadi warganegara yang bertanggungjawab.
MAA semak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan 2024 kepada 765,000 unit
Persatuan Automotif Malaysia (MAA) telah menyemak semula unjuran jualan kenderaan bermotor baharu bagi 2024 kepada 765,000 unit daripada anggaran sebelumnya sebanyak 740,000 unit.
RUU 355: Pindaan perlu untuk praktikaliti, keadilan
Apa sahaja pindaan terhadap akta itu perlu berjalan selari dengan persediaan mereka yang bertanggungjawab melaksanakannya.
Rasionalisasi RON95 dijangka beri impak lebih besar kepada PKS - SAMENTA
SAMENTA menjangkakan rasionalisasi RON95 akan memberi impak yang lebih besar kepada perusahaan kecil dan sederhana (PKS) berbanding pelarasan subsidi diesel.
Malaysia sasar pengeluaran 40 peratus sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030
Malaysia menyasarkan pengeluaran 40 peratus hasil sektor akuakultur menjelang 2030 dalam usaha membantu mengimbangi keperluan perikanan negara.
10 Berita Pilihan - (16 Julai 2024
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
PAC beri tempoh tiga bulan kepada HRD Corp
Jawatankuasa Kira-kira Wang Negara (PAC) memberi tempoh tiga bulan kepada Perbadanan Pembangunan Sumber Manusia (HRD Corp) untuk mengemukakan laporan tindakan susulan terhadap syor jawatankuasa itu.
Kylian Mbappe tandatangan kontrak dengan Real Madrid
Bintang bola sepak Perancis Kylian Mbappe menandatangani kontrak selama lima tahun dengan kelab Sepanyol Real Madrid pada Selasa.
Pelepasan ketujuh air sisa nuklear Fukushima ke laut selesai
Jepun telah menyelesaikan pusingan ketujuh pelepasan air sisa radioaktif yang dirawat dari loji kuasa nuklear Fukushima Daiichi ke Lautan Pasifik pada Selasa.
Empat termasuk kapten maut dalam pertempuran
Empat anggota tentera India termasuk kapten meninggal dunia akibat kecederaan selepas pertempuuran pada malam isnin di Hutan Desa.