The king of Thailand is hospitalized and the Bangkok Post has up a graphic tonight "Prayers for the King" over the story Nation joins prayer for a quick recovery.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest serving monarch, is 81, and you just won't see his name in print without the words "revered" or "beloved" attached.
Recent coups, riots, the slow-grinding Muslim rebellion in the south, and the positively simmering political climate in Bangkok make this a story to watch closely, with trepidation.
Just last Saturday former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra marked the third anniversary of his exile by imploring supporters via video, "Give me just six months as prime minister, and I will bring this country back to normal.”
The Telegraph reports (incredibly) that last month, King Bhumibol warned that Thailand could "collapse" unless its feuding political parties put aside their differences.
Events at the weekend, including Thaskin's speech at his supporters' Bangkok protest and a clash at a temple on the Cambodian border, had Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva pleading in a national address, "We can express different opinions, but please don't hurt each other."
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You couldn't write this about the coming royal succession inside Thailand because of Thailand's lese-mageste laws, usually described as among the toughest in the world, but the building storm also bears watching because every description you'll ever read has a variation on "The Crown Prince does not have the moral authority of his father," or "The Prince is not yet ready to assume power."
The Times reports that the Prince "has been married three times and in the past two years scandalous film footage has been distributed on the Internet and on clandestine CDs, featuring him and his current wife, Princess Srirasmi."
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It may not be time for King Bhumibol to leave Thailand, but that time is coming. The good people of Thailand are among the kindest on the planet, their country is beautiful and their food is delicious, and besides genuine grief when their king dies, the last thing they need is what just might happen next.
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King Bhumibol was "put on antibiotics and an intravenous drip after suffering fever, tiredness and loss of appetite," says The Times.
The Crown Prince was born in 1953 and is the King's only son. Photo of Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the Royal Son and Crown Prince of Siam and Princess Srirasmi from Wikimedia.
(There are photos of some of the beauty of Thailand in the Thailand Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.)
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