King Bhumibol Adulyadej began celebrations of his 80th birthday by calling Sunday for unity as the country heads into divisive elections later this month.
Bhumibol, whose birthday is on Wednesday, rarely speaks in public and only discusses politics during times of turmoil.
"The situation in the country these days, as everyone knows in their hearts, is unpredictable," Bhumibol said after presiding over an annual military parade in honor of his birthday.
"If Thai people lack a national conscience and lack a sense of unity, there may be misfortune for the entire nation," he said, calling for "stability and security" to be the goal of the country.
Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning monarch, did not directly mention the elections, but they were the clear context of his remarks.
Polls show that allies of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra are among the election front-runners, a source of embarrassment for the military generals who deposed Thaksin in a coup in September last year.
The military has denied rumors that it would stage another coup if Thaksin's allies win the December 23 elections. Thaksin was accused of widespread corruption and abuse of power.
The king's comments came after he reviewed his elite Royal Guards, standing in the back seat of his Rolls Royce convertible. The troops then recited their annual oath of allegiance to the king, an accomplished musician who composed one of songs they marched to.
Shouting "Long Live the King," thousands of onlookers lined Bangkok's Royal Plaza dressed in yellow to show their devotion to the beloved monarch. Yellow symbolizes Monday, the day Bhumibol was born.
Bhumibol's health has recently been a matter of nationwide concern.
He checked out of a hospital November 7 after three weeks of treatment for a colon infection and what the palace described as inadequate blood flow to his brain.
Bhumibol has suffered several ailments in recent years, including heart problems.
As part of the weeklong celebrations, Bhumibol is to address the nation tomorrow night, as he does every year on the eve of his birthday.
Fireworks will light the skies Wednesday night and many Thais will perform charitable acts to honor the king, such as donating blood. Across the Buddhist nation, people will also show respect for the monarch by performing merit-making ceremonies that typically involve freeing captive animals, including birds, turtles and fish.
The king was born on December 5, 1927, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father, Prince Mahidol, was studying medicine. He became the ninth king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty on June 9, 1946. He succeeded his older brother Ananda, who died in an unexplained shooting.
Bhumibol is a constitutional king with no formal political role, but he has repeatedly brought calm in times of turbulence and is considered the country's moral authority and a unifying figure.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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