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BANGKOK : Thailand's revered king made his first public appearance since being hospitalised a month ago, easing fears over the health of the monarch who has helped stabilise his turbulent nation for decades.
The 81-year-old Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning royal, was pictured on television being pushed in a cushioned wheelchair by a team of royal physicians at Siriraj hospital in Bangkok.
Regarded as a demi-god by many Thais, the king was admitted to hospital on September 19 with a lung infection and fever and speculation that his health had deteriorated sent the nation's stock market tumbling last week.
Channel 9 reported that King Bhumibol paid homage to his grandfather, King Chulalongkorn, whose death is marked Friday by a public holiday. Footage showed him wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and black trousers.
The royal also paid homage to his late parents and visited a photographic exhibition at the hospital in honour of his late mother.
The television report said the king then visited a bookstore before returning to the wing where he has been receiving treatment.
A crowd of dozens of people quickly gathered at the hospital, chanting "long live the king!" as he was wheeled about the grounds.
"I ran from the river jetty when I heard the king had come down and I shouted 'long live the king,'" one woman told Channel 9. "I want him to live with the Thai people for a long long time."
The king's health is a sensitive topic in light of the turmoil that has rocked Thailand for three years since former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was toppled in a 2006 coup.
On Thursday the royal household released a statement saying it would no longer issue daily updates on the king's health.
"The general condition of the king is stable, he has gained strength and can eat and sleep as normal, but the team of royal physicians continues to administer antibiotics," the statement said.
"(The royal bureau) will make an announcement if there is any change in his condition," it said.
The only direct comment from the royal family came last Friday from the king's daughter, Princess Chulabhorn, who said doctors had assured the family that he was out of danger.
Political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak said the appearance would help shore up confidence in the stock market after the bourse plunged 8.22 percent at one point last Thursday, despite attempts by its president to reassure investors.
"His Majesty's personal appearance will quash the rumours in the immediate term," said Thitinan, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
"But the concerns and the rumours will likely reappear without the regular appearance of His Majesty," he added.
The stock market was closed Friday for a public holiday and will reopen on Monday.
Last week Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating whether the markets had been manipulated.
The royal family is protected by a harsh lese majeste law which states that anyone who insults the king or other royals can be jailed for up to 15 years.
- AFP/vm
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