Thai king spends fourth day in hospital

THAILAND'S King Bhumibol Adulyadej is eating well and his body temperature is back to normal, the palace said yesterday, as the world's longest-reigning monarch spent a fifth day in hospital.

The 81-year-old king has been in a Bangkok hospital since Saturday, when he was put on a drip after being diagnosed with fever, fatigue and loss of appetite.

"His Majesty's body temperature has returned to normal. He is eating again and is sleeping well," the royal household said in a statement.

"The medical team has therefore reduced the amount of intravenous antibiotics and nutrients."

Thousands of Thais have come to Bangkok's Siriraj hospital since Saturday to sign a book for well-wishers, officials said.

The ex-wife of Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's deposed former prime minister, went to the hospital on Tuesday with a bunch of white flowers to offer her wishes for the king's recovery, witnesses said.

The health of King Bhumibol is a highly sensitive topic in Thailand, which has been rocked by three years of protests since then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was toppled in a coup.

The king is a constitutional monarch but has projected an image as the only unifying figure in the country throughout his 63-year reign. In the 1970s and again in 1992 he ordered military regimes to end bloody crackdowns.

Last month the king issued the latest in a series of warnings that the country could "collapse" if Thailand's feuding political factions do not unite.

King Bhumibol was diagnosed as suffering from "mild fever" in December as he celebrated his birthday, causing him to cancel his annual birthday eve speech.

AFP