King recovered from latest illness, but public appearance cancelled

Thailand’s 84-year-old king has recovered from minor bleeding around the brain, the royal palace said yesterday, but he has still scrapped a trip to the west of the country.

A statement from the palace said a scan showed King Bhumibol Adulyadej had bleeding in the brain’s outer membrane. He was treated and had recovered by the morning.

The king has been a patient at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital since September 2009. Originally treated for lung inflammation, he had a spinal tap procedure last year to reduce excess cerebrospinal fluid causing pressure on his brain. He was treated for abdominal bleeding in November, and for a painful digestive condition in January.

The king had been scheduled to visit a development project tomorrow in the western province of Ratchaburi. In May, he made a highly publicised trip to Thailand’s old capital of Ayutthaya, and since then he has made two boat trips for ceremonial occasions.

Thailand’s monarchy once had near-universal respect among Thais, but the king’s fading from public life and the palace’s perceived role in the nation’s political battles have tarnished the institution in recent years.