By VIJAY JOSHI / AP WRITER | BANGKOK — Thailand's ailing king failed to deliver his traditional speech to the nation Thursday on the eve of his 81st birthday because of ill health — a stunning development that is likely to deepen the country's political paralysis.
 Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej (right) sits next to Queen Sirikit as part of the celebration to commemorate his 81th birthday in Bangkok on December 2. (Photo: AFP) |
The king's ill health is likely to fuel worries not only about the monarchy's future but also about how Thailand, which is just recovering from a weeklong seizure of its two main airports by anti-government activists, will resolve its political crisis.
Many Thais were eagerly awaiting the king's speech, hoping he would give the country guidance on how to end its increasingly bitter political divisions.
The speech is usually delivered in front of senior government officials and other guests representing different sectors of society. It is broadcast live on national radio, and later on television.
But after a one-hour delay, the radio announced that Vajiralongkorn would take the king's place at the function. The prince spoke for only three minutes to inform the nation of his father's condition.
"The king has said to thank (you) for the wishes given out of loyalty. He wants to return the good wishes. He wants everyone to have strong mental and physical health to perform their duties for the public," Vajiralongkorn said.
It is the first time in memory that the king, who has reigned since 1946, has not delivered the speech.
Last year, the king was hospitalized for more than three weeks for symptoms of a stroke and a colon infection. He also has a history of heart trouble and was operated on in 2006 for a spinal problem.
Immediately after the crown prince's short address, his sister, Princess Sirindorn, spoke to the nation to say the king was suffering from bronchitis and inflammation of the esophagus.
She said he was "eating fine" on Wednesday but had a "lot of phlegm" and was unable to eat properly Thursday.
He has no fever but needed to regain strength before coming out in public, she said. "His condition is not serious. He is weak," she said.
The king's last public appearance was on Wednesday when he looked haggard and weak while inspecting a guard of honor by royal troops. He spoke briefly, reading hoarsely from a text, and seemed barely able to keep his head up.
The king is a constitutional monarch and has no role in the government. But as a revered and beloved figure he commands great respect among most Thais. He has also stepped in several times in the past to resolve political crises.
He has never publicly commented on his successor, an issue that weighs heavily on Thai minds even if it is rarely discussed in public.
His son, Vajiralongkorn, 55, lacks the stature and popularity of his father. There is great concern that Vajiralongkorn, who has married three times and fathered six children, will have difficulty living up to Bhumibol's record of hard work and diligence.
The royal crisis could not have come at worse time for Thailand as it reels from the anti-establishment campaign by the People's Alliance for Democracy.
It started with a campaign in late 2005 to oust then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed in a 2006 military coup amid accusations of gross corruption and attempting to undermine the monarchy.
Thaksin's supporters won elections held under military rule in December 2007.
But the protest alliance rejected the outcome, saying the new government was a proxy for Thaksin.
On August 26, alliance members began occupying the grounds of Government House, which houses the prime minister's office.
They stormed Bangkok's international Suvarnabhumi airport and domestic Don Muang airport last week to prevent Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from returning to Bangkok from a summit in Peru.
The government was unable to muster the clear support of the army or police to evict the protesters.
The alliance ended its siege of the airports after a court Tuesday ousted Somchai and dissolved the top three parties in the ruling coalition for voter fraud in the last elections.
The alliance says the rural poor — who form the main power base of the Thaksin group — are uneducated and susceptible to vote buying. It wants a system in which a majority of lawmakers would be nominated by professional and social groups instead of being elected.
Tuesday's court ruling banned Somchai and other party leaders from politics for five years.
But other members of his coalition were preparing to join other parties and choose a new prime minister, a move that could once again prompt the protest alliance to take to the streets if the next leader is seen as a proxy of the former government.
Authorities said Thursday that Suvarnabhumi airport, Thailand's main international gateway and a regional hub, would be "open for full services including check-in and immigration" at 11 a.m. (0400 GMT) Friday.
National airline Thai Airways has already restarted operations at the airport. Singapore Airlines is to start Friday and many other airlines are expected to follow suit. The smaller domestic Don Muang airport was functioning normally with Thai Airways flying all of its scheduled flights within the country.
The sieges of the two airports stranded more than 300,000 travelers in Thailand, while many others were unable to fly into the country during the peak tourist season.
The airport crisis has taken a heavy toll on the tourism industry — a pillar of the Thai economy — as holiday cancellations pour in from around the world.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects foreign tourist arrivals to fall by half from the projected 15 million next year.
Some hotels slashed their rates by as much as 80 percent to fill empty rooms, The Nation newspaper reported.
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