BANGKOK — Concern for the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on Wednesday prompted the country’s prime minister to return abruptly to Bangkok, caused Thai stocks to fall sharply and sent well-wishers to the hospital where the 88-year-old monarch was being treated. The country, which has been under military rule since 2014, is deeply polarized, but King Bhumibol has been a unifying figure, even in ill health. The military’s authority derives from the king, and there is a sense of national anxiety about his condition and what will happen when he dies. Most Thais have known no monarch other than King Bhumibol, who ascended the throne in 1946. Srikaew Attasana, 48, a hotel housekeeping manager from Bangkok, was among the crowd at Siriraj Hospital wearing pink and offering prayers.

Source: New York Times October 12, 2016 13:28 UTC