BANGKOK (AP) — His Majesty King Bhumibol, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has died at age 88.

The Royal palace said the HM the King passed away peacefully on Thursday at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital.

“Even though the board of doctors has closely monitored and treated him to the best of its abilities, his Majesty’s condition never improved but deteriorated until Thursday,” it said in a statement.

It did not mention details of mourning or succession.

The entire Royal family were by his side as he passed at 3:52pm Thursday 13th of October.

Bhumibol Adulyadej became the King in 1946 and is revered here in Thailand as a demigod. He anchored the Southeast Asian country through violent upheavals at home and communist revolutions next door with a blend of majesty and a common touch.

The once-vigorous King had withdrawn from public life over the last decade due to his ill health. He lived at the Siriraj Hospital and had been notably silent about the political upheaval that has shaken Thailand in recent years. </s> INTERNATIONAL NEWS - Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, has died after 70 years on the throne, the palace says.

The king, 88, was widely revered in Thailand. He was seen as a stabilising figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.

He had been in poor health in recent years, making few public appearances.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will be the new monarch, the prime minister has said.

"He is now in heaven and may be looking over Thai citizens from there,'' he said.

The king's death comes as Thailand remains under military rule following a coup in 2014.

Prayuth Chan-ocha also said Thailand would observe a year-long mourning period for King Bhumibol. </s> In this photo by Sakchai Lalit, Thais hold portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej outside Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, where the ailing 88-year-old monarch has been treated for years. Several people had gathered at the hospital to pray and burn incense for the king's well-being. Bhumibol is the world's longest-reigning monarch and has been a key unifying figure in the Southeast Asian country. Thais are concerned about the eventual succession as he has been king since 1946 and the crown prince has not earned the same respect as his father. The king's health was described as unstable after he underwent procedures over the weekend to purify his blood and change a tube that drains excess cerebrospinal fluid. </s> Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has died after 70 years as head of state.

The 88-year-old king was widely revered but had been in poor health in recent years, making few public appearances.

He was seen as a stabilising figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will be the new monarch, the prime minister has said.

 The announcement

After two days of speculation and rumours surrounding the king’s deteriorating health, the palace announcement confirming his death finally came early on Thursday evening.

“His majesty has passed away at Siriraj Hospital peacefully,” a statement said, adding he had died at 15:52 (08:52 GMT).

In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said Thailand would hold a one-year mourning period, that flags would fly half-mast and all entertainment functions must be “toned down” for a month.

In a later statement he urged vigilance, saying national security was a top priority.

“Everyone will need to be alert in every region and throughout the country to ensure safety”, he said.

The king’s death comes as Thailand remains under military rule following a coup in 2014.

A palace official, speaking to crowds outside the hospital, said the body of the king would be moved to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok on Friday.

 The people’s grief

King Bhumibol was widely respected across Thailand, and thought of by many as semi-divine.

Hundreds of mourners gathered outside the Bangkok hospital where he died, stricken with grief at the news.

As night fell, crowds of mourners remained at the hospital where the King died

Many held pictures of the king and wore yellow or pink clothing in his honour.

“How will Thailand live without you father?” cried one distressed man.

“I lost one of the most important people in my life. I feel like I haven’t done enough for him,” said another.

A wave of emotion swept through the crowd – Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Bangkok

Throughout the first part of the day the king’s supporters had sung royal songs and recited prayers at Siriraj Hospital. Many wore carefully chosen colours. Pink, for good health, or yellow the royal colour.

Most knelt holding pictures of King Bhumibol, facing the part of the hospital where he was receiving treatment.

By early afternoon the mood had begun to change. With all of his children at his bedside, rumours were circulating that the 88-year-old had passed away.

Although the prime minister said Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn would become the new monarch, he added that the official proclamation would be made at a later date.

He said the crown prince had confirmed that he would perform his duty as heir to the throne, but had asked for time to mourn his father’s death.

The crown prince, who is 64, is much less well known to Thais and has not attained his father’s widespread popularity. He spends much of his time overseas, especially in Germany.

Strict lese-majeste laws protect the most senior members of Thailand’s royal family from insult or threat. Public discussion of the succession can be punishable by lengthy jail terms.

Given the pivotal role the king has played in maintaining the balance of power in Thailand’s volatile political environment, the succession will be a formidable challenge for the government, says the BBC’s Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

King Bhumibol, who was born in Cambridge in the US state of Massachusetts, acceded to the throne on 9 June 1946 after his brother, King Ananda Mahidol, died.

Though a constitutional monarch with limited official powers, many Thais looked to King Bhumibol to him to intervene in times of high tension. He was seen as a unifying and calming influence through numerous coups and 20 constitutions.

However, his critics argued he had endorsed military takeovers and at times had failed to speak out against human rights abuses.

Following the death of King Bhumibol, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has become the world longest-reigning monarch, having been on the throne for 64 years.

Tributes have been flowing in from across the world.

US President Barack Obama called the late king a “tireless champion of his country’s development”.

“I had the honour of calling on his majesty the king during my visit to Thailand in 2012, and recall his grace and warmth, as well as his deep affection and compassion for the Thai people,” he said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said in a statement that he hoped Thailand would honour King Bhumibol’s legacy of commitment to universal values and respect for human rights.

Asian leaders were quick to express their condolences. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the late king as “one of the tallest leaders of our times”.

Image copyright AP

 Image caption Crowds outside the hospital howled with grief when the announcement was made

Image copyright AFP

 Image caption Most ordinary Thais know only a few details about Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37643326 </s> Bangkok: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, has died after a long illness, plunging his south-east Asian country of 64 million people into a period of intense mourning and uncertainty. He was 88.

Thai television interrupted programming to make the announcement shortly before 7pm Thai time.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced that Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will succeed his father.

People cry outside Siriraj Hospital after the death was announced. Photo: AP

"The government will proceed with the succession. The government will inform the National Legislative Assembly that his Majesty the King appointed his heir on December 28 1972," Mr Prayuth said. The assembly was due to meet Thursday evening.

Mr Prayath said there would be a 12 month mourning period and flags would fly at half mast for 30 days. He said there could be no celebratory events held for 30 days, indicating there will be restrictions on bars and the selling of alcohol.

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Revered by Thais, the king succeeded to the throne on June 9, 1946, when he was a gangly, thick-spectacled American-born 18-year-old who could barely speak Thai.

During 70 years on the throne he presided over the revival of a faltering centuries-old royal institution, growing in power and influence as he helped direct Thailand's social and economic development.

A young woman lights a candle before praying at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty

Thailand's National Assembly ended an extraordinary session late Thursday night without inviting a successor to the king to ascend to the throne.

"We are preparing the next moves," said a spokesman for the assembly, which is made up of military appointees. Assembly members wore black and stood in silence for nine minutes.

People pray at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok on Thursday following the death of the King. Photo: Kate Geraghty

It is likely to be months before the Crown Prince's coronation as the new monarch,as Thailand goes through a period of intense national mourning.

Many businesses are expected to be closed or provide reduced services as Thais mourn the loss of the ninth Chakri king, whom many regard as semi-divine.

Mourning outside the hospital after the Royal Palace made the announcement. Photo: AP

Western diplomats in Bangkok say tourists and expatriates in Thailand should wear black and respect the grief Thais will be feeling for their king, whose portrait hangs in every government building and in many shops and homes.

People in a crowd that had gathered at Bangkok's Siriraj hospital, where the king has been battling ailments for several years, openly wept as news of the death swept social media.

An undated photo of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. Photo: AFP

"Long live the King! Long live the King!" they cried, gazing up at the hospital building with tear-filled eyes.

Dozens of doctors wearing white coats solemnly sang the Thai national anthem in the hospital's foyer. One women wearing pink, a colour royal astrologists said was good for the king, collapsed hysterically in the hospital grounds holding photograph of the king and queen. But a Reuters reporter said most of the people at the hospital were dignified.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2010. Photo: Reuters

Four of the king's children, including 63-year-old Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, were at the hospital Thursday evening. The Crown Prince arrived in the country on Thursday from Germany where he owns a lakeside villa.

King Bhumibol had been treated for various ailments during a year-long hospitalisation in the Thai capital. He had not made a public appearance since January 2016.

Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. Photo: Reuters

Anxiety over his health and eventual succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of bitter political division in Thailand that has included military takeovers and sometimes violent street demonstrations.

The death follows a coup in May 2014 that toppled the democratically-elected government of Thailand's first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Photo: Getty Images

King Bhumibol acceded to the throne after the mysterious shooting death of his brother, King Ananda Mahidol, at the Royal Palace in Bangkok on June 9, 1946.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father was studying, King Bhumibol, whose name means "Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power", was educated in Switzerland before returning to Thailand to be crowned on May 5, 1950, with a promise to the nation: "We shall reign with righteousness, for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese [Thai] people."

He had married Queen Sirikit - then a 17-year-old student - a week earlier, and they had four children, one son and three daughters.

The queen, who turned 84 in August 2016, has also suffered ailments and hospitalisation in recent times.

News about the royal family is tightly controlled in Thailand, where laws protecting the royals from insult make it a crime to defame, insult or threaten the king, queen, heir to the throne or regent.

Former army chief and now Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha warned when he led the 2014 coup that anything deemed "offensive" to the monarchy would be dealt with harshly under the country's lese-majeste laws. </s> Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is in an “unstable” condition after undergoing multiple medical procedures, and is now confined in a hospital, a statement from the palace confirmed. At 88 years old, the king is the world’s longest-serving monarch and is widely revered.

In recent years, the king has received treatment for a number of illnesses, the BBC reports. He has not appeared in public over the last few months, and spent most of the last year in a hospital.

The palace statement, released Sunday night, relates that doctors at the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok conducted hemodialysis – a procedure that requires inserting a tube into a vein to allow the kidney to filter blood. The medical team also changed a draining tube that was releasing fluid from his brain. After these procedures, the monarch’s blood pressure dropped on occasion, and he had to be put on a ventilator.

The king then underwent echocardiography to check on his heart. While his blood pressure has improved, his general condition “remains unstable” and his condition is now closely monitored.

Public concern over King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health has been growing due to his prolonged hospital stays. Last month, he was treated for fluid in his lungs, reduced kidney function and a severe infection, following removal of his gallbladder last year, according to CNN.

Thailand’s Royal Household Bureau has been posting updates on the king’s condition on its Facebook page.

The king is seen as a unifying symbol in a country rife with political divisions, violence, and tension. Also known as Rama IX, King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the ninth leader in the Chakri Dynasty. He ascended to the throne on June 9, 1946, after his brother King Ananda Mahidol died from a gunshot wound, and has served for over 70 years. He has been married to Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara since 1950 and is succeeded by Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, as well as three daughters, the Princesses Ubolratana Rajakanya, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, and Chulabhorn Walailak. </s> Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, is in an unstable condition after receiving dialysis treatment, the palace has said in a statement.

The Royal Household Bureau said on Sunday that the 88-year-old was given some medicine and put on a ventilator to bring his blood pressure back to normal.

"The medical team are watching his symptoms and giving treatments carefully because the overall symptoms of his sickness are still not stable," the statement said.

Historically the palace has tightly controlled news about his health and it is difficult to ascertain his overall condition.



In recent months the palace has begun issuing more regular updates that point to a string of major health issues including renal failure.

THE LISTENING POST: Thailand's lese majeste law

Over the past two years he has also been treated for bacterial infections, breathing difficulties, heart problems and hydrocephalus - a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid often referred to as "water on the brain".

He has not been seen in public since January 11 when he spent several hours visiting his palace in Bangkok.



News about the king's health is closely monitored in Thailand, where King Bhumibol is deeply revered.

Anxiety over the king's health and an eventual succession has formed the backdrop to more than a decade of bitter political divide in Thailand that has included two military coups and often-violent street demonstrations. </s> I say this in memory of Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, also known as King Rama IX. He passed away almost two months ago and was the longest active reigning monarch in the world, almost six full years more than Queen Elizabeth II. His birthday is Dec. 5 and that's the reason it's Father's Day in Thailand. He was truly a remarkable man and what he did for the country of Thailand, especially its people, is inspiring and very impressive. He was a diplomat, in the truest sense of the word. Also, he was an American citizen since he was born in the United States. </s> PH joins rest of world in mourning passing of Thai king

The Philippine government has extended its sympathies to Thailand following the death of its revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

“On behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Filipino people, we join the rest of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in mourning the passing of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.

“The late King Bhumibol was not only the world’s longest reigning monarch but also the guiding hand behind the emergence of Thailand as one of the most progressive countries in the whole of Asia,” he said.

The Thai king died Thursday “in a peaceful state” at a hospital, according to the Royal Palace. He was 88. </s> For all concerned in the country and beyond, the new Thailand must be based on a spirit of compromise and accommodation.

Worldwide audiences often are bewildered by the intense affection the Thai people harbored for King Bhumibol. When he celebrated his 60th year on the throne in June 2006, hundreds of thousands of Thais lined Bangkok's thoroughfares to catch a glimpse of the monarch and to celebrate the milestone with him.

Near the end, many Thais flocked to his hospital to pray and pay their last respects. They shed many tears when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha announced the King's passing. Thais knew this day would come, but they wanted to delay it as long as possible.

The Thais' treatment of their collective "father" can seem like god worship, characteristic of born-again evangelicals, or the type of manufactured adulation common in North Korea. Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned king on May 5, 1950. News of the 88-year-old's death was announced Thursday, October 13, via a statement from the Royal Palace read on state TV. He was the world's longest-reigning living monarch. Bhumibol, left, is pictured in 1935 with his older brother, the former King Ananda Mahidol, in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the boys attended school. King Ananda was 20 when he died of a gunshot wound under mysterious circumstances. His 18-year-old brother, known then as Prince Phumiphon Aduldet, later assumed the throne to become King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Bhumibol and his future wife, Princess Sirikit Kityakara, are pictured in Lausanne in 1949. The couple married a year later at Srapathum Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. The King and Queen pose with their children, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn and Princess Ubol Ratana, on the steps of Bangkok's Chitralada Palace in 1955. Two more daughters, Princesses Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Chulabhorn Walailak, were born in 1955 and 1957. The royal couple ride with U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower during a five-day state visit to the United States in 1960. The King, far right, plays the saxophone during a 1960 jam session with legendary jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman and his band in New York. The King walks with his wife and their 13-year-old son, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, during a visit to Britain in 1966. The King convenes the first meeting of his country's National Reform Assembly during a ceremony held in Bangkok in 1976. The King put the monarchy at the center of Thai society, acting as a force for community and tradition even as the country flipped between political crises and military coups. The King raises a camera to take a photo in 1995. He was given his first camera in 1934, which ignited a lifelong enthusiasm for photography. He has often been seen with a camera around his neck during public appearances. The King and Queen survey a rice crop made possible by a Royal Irrigation Project in 1996. The project formed part of the Royal Development Projects, which focused on developing remote rural areas. The King has taken an interest in environmental projects throughout his long reign. The King reviews an honor guard with Queen Sirikit and Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn during the annual military parade to celebrate his birthday in 2006. The King lights candles at a ceremony to mark Coronation Day in Bangkok in 2007. The King is wheeled towards his yacht in 2010, during a rare public appearance to open a new flood gate and two bridges in Bangkok. The King is pictured with family members in 2012. He addressed a crowd from a balcony on his 85th birthday. The King is seen through a car window as he leaves the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok in 2015. A portrait of the King is held on the eve of his 88th birthday as people gather outside the Siriraj hospital in 2015. The King of Thailand is regarded as a demi-god by many Thais, and his popularity has been viewed as a unifying force during times of political unrest. This reverence and respect for the monarch derived from the Cold War era when Thailand had to go it alone as the last domino withstanding communist expansionism in Southeast Asia. In rapid succession during April and May 1975, Cambodia fell to the Maoist Khmer Rouge, Saigon to the North Vietnamese army and Laos to communist insurgents. On Thailand's western front, Burma -- now Myanmar -- became reclusive and autocratic after 1962. At home, Thailand was poor, beset with regular blackouts, unreliable waterworks and unpaved roads in most places. In these early years of economic development, King Bhumibol exerted efforts beyond the call of duty and built an indelible bond with his people. He traversed far-flung corners of the land, at some risk as the local communist insurgency was making headway, to promote agricultural production, irrigation, infrastructure construction and myriad public good. As a core component of the Thai national identity, the late King lived a modest life when he could have been lavish. He endured hardship when comfort was available and gave Thais a unifying, rallying symbol to thwart external threats and to believe in their country's immense potential. Detractors and critics will say all that was achieved was misguided and came at a great cost of a long period of military-authoritarian rule, that development was lopsided in favor of the urban elite, that democratic development was stunted by repeated coups that kept the military-monarchy symbiosis front and center in Thai society. These points are not invalid, but Thailand would not be where it is today without King Bhumibol, a force of personality who led by example with unsurpassable moral authority. His achievement is self-evident in view of the harsher times that befell Thailand's neighbors over the same period. Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. By virtue of his success, the late monarch has left behind a modern country that now has to come to terms with his passing. While the military junta plays an instrumental role in the transition to a new monarch, elections and democratic rule ultimately cannot be denied, and popular voices have been heard time and again calling for a more collective self-determined future. The monarchy that King Bhumibol rebuilt will not be the same under his successor. The imperatives of democratic rule require a 21st-century kind of monarchy within a renegotiated constitutional order. Brokering and institutionalizing this compromise is Thailand's way forward.
The King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at the age of 88. He was the world's longest currently serving monarch.