LONG LIVE THE KING

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 88 in Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital after his 70-year reign. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha made a statement Thailand would hold a one-year mourning period as the Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn confirmed that he would perform his duty as heir to the throne.

Hundreds gathered at Siriraj hospital where he died, reacting for their lost, stricken with grief at the news. The day after the King’s body was moved from the Hospital to the Grand Palace where thousand of mourners gathered to pay respect to him, crying and shouting «Long live the king!»

King Bhumibol Adulyadej was widely revered, thought of by many as semi-divine but was in poor health in recent years. He was seen as a stabilising figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.With the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand has entered a new era of uncertainty, which is not only political but also economic.