Thailand’s 81-year-old King Bhumibol hospitalized for third day with fever, low appetite

81-year-old Thai king hospitalized for third day

BANGKOK — Thailand’s 81-year-old king, the world’s longest-serving monarch, remained hospitalized for a third day Monday with low fever and loss of appetite, the palace said Monday.

A statement from the Royal Household Bureau, read on evening news broadcasts, said King Bhumibol Adulyadej was on a glucose drip and was being treated with antibiotics.

The brief statement, which was similar to one issued a day earlier, did not indicate if the king’s condition had changed since he was admitted to Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital on Saturday.

In October 2007, Bhumibol was hospitalized for three weeks with symptoms of a minor stroke. Last year, he was unable to make his traditional birthday speech due to what his daughter, Princess Sirindhorn, described as an inflammation of the esophagus.

The king’s health is an extremely sensitive topic in Thailand because of concerns about his succession. His son, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, does not yet have the stature or moral authority of his father.

The king is revered by most Thais, but in recent years the palace has come in for unprecedented, though usually discreet, criticism because of allegations that the king’s advisers interfered in politics, including playing a part in inspiring a 2006 military coup that ousted a democratically elected government.

Open discussion of the matter is barred by strict lese majeste laws that make criticism of the monarchy punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

It had been rumored since late last week that the king had visited the hospital, but the Thai press only reported the matter widely on Sunday.