Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Thousands pray for Thai king as markets recover
Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:41am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Jason Szep
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands arrived in buses to pray outside a Bangkok hospital on Friday for the swift recovery of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a day after concerns about his health sparked the biggest slide in a year in Thai stock prices.
As Thais queued up to sign get-well books at Siriraj Hospital, where the world's longest-reigning monarch has spent the past 27 days, investors returned to Thailand's bourse, lured by bargains in a market that has jumped more than 50 percent this year. Thai stocks ended the day up 3.5 percent.
The king's youngest daughter, Princess Chulabhorn, on Friday said his condition was improving and he was not in danger.
"He needs to continue staying in hospital, but doctors say there is no danger," the princess told Thai students based in Germany in comments broadcast on Thai television.
Her comments were the first by a royal family member since the king was hospitalized on September 19, and follow weeks of opaquely worded updates from the palace.
"His condition has greatly improved. What he only needs now is physical therapy to help him walk better, to strengthen his leg muscles," she said.
Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij on Friday urged the public to disregard market rumors and attributed a 7 percent slide in the stock market on Wednesday and Thursday to foreigners cashing in after gains.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had decided on Friday to pursue legal action against anyone found responsible for rumors that triggered the stocks plunge.
Investors remain on edge despite assurances from policymakers and the palace itself that the 81-year-old monarch is on the mend after a bout of pneumonia. Dutch broker ING advised clients on Friday to avoid Thai assets altogether.
Strict lese majeste laws in Thailand make comment on royal matters risky. But the king's disappearance from public view has raised concern in largely Buddhist Thailand where many of his subjects regard him as almost divine.
UNIFYING FIGURE
The health of the king, Thailand's single unifying figure during a long series of military coups and constitutional experiments, is followed closely in financial markets.
Bhumibol's son and presumed heir, 57-year-old, foreign-educated Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, does not yet command his father's popular support, raising concerns about succession in the influential Thai monarchy.
A focus on the issue of royal succession would add another element of uncertainty to a polarizing four-year political crisis that has already hurt foreign investment in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.
In a vivid reminder of that crisis, thousands of red-shirted, anti-government protesters plan to gather in Bangkok on Saturday to demand the government submit a petition seeking a royal pardon for fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
PREVIEW-Crucial weekend nears for ABN AMRO
also on reuters
Blog: Dow 10,000: It’s do-over time!
Book trade can avoid music labels' mistakes
Video
Video: Balloon Boy found alive
More International News
Suicide bomber kills 12 in Pakistan's Peshawar
| Video
Afghanistan gears up for final election result
Zimbabwe's MDC boycotts unity government with Mugabe
U.N. rights body endorses Gaza war crimes report
Iranian bloggers win major press award
More International News...
Related News
Thai King not in danger, health improving: princess
9:49am EDT
Why the Thai king's health can panic markets
7:29am EDT
FACTBOX: Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej
8:25am EDT
Q+A: Would a Thai crisis destabilize regional markets?
7:34am EDT
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
UPDATE 1-In New Orleans, Obama fires back at critics
Modern man a wimp says anthropologist
Embattled Pakistan faces its worst-case scenario
Obama wins first financial reform victory in months
Soros says U.S. economy will be drag on world growth
Sorry, no jobs. This is California
In New Orleans, Obama fires back at critics | Video
Criminal probe into Arizona "sweat dome" deaths
Wasserstein death to result in $186.5 million payment | Video
Google, IBM round out strong tech results week
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Balloon Boy found alive
Australia pram dragged 40m by train
Obama assures New Orleans of relief
Australia fire-fghters see success
Day of violence in Pakistan
China's EV car boom
Talk of the Town
Wall Street bonus controversy
Disabled painters showcase art
Italy denies ''paying off'' Taliban
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Iran
Iranian go-slow dims deal chances at Vienna atom talks
World powers will seek to finalize an agreement with Iran next week on processing its uranium abroad to help allay Western fears it is developing nuclear weapons. Full Article
Q+A: What Iran wants from nuclear talks
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.