Thai King Must Remain in Hospital: Doctors

BANGKOK — Doctors have asked Thailand's 81-year-old king, the world's longest-serving monarch, to remain hospitalized so he can fully recover from a lung inflammation, the royal palace said Wednesday.

Thailand's stock market had its largest decline in nearly two months Wednesday after rumors circulated among investors of the deterioration in King Bhumibol Adulyadej's health.

Well-wishers walks next to portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok. (Photo: Reuters)

Bhumibol was hospitalized Sept. 19 for fever, fatigue and lack of appetite. A statement from the royal palace said the king's doctors asked him to stay in the hospital "for dietary supplements and physical therapies." The statement said his "general condition is good" and that an extended period for recovery is common for the elderly.

The disappearance from the public eye of the revered king has caused great concern since most Thais have not lived under any other monarch.

Although the palace has issued daily statements on the king's condition, they have not been very detailed, and no photos of him during his hospital stay have been released. He has rarely made public appearances in the past few years.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand index fell 2 percent Wednesday to close at 731.47, its largest decline in nearly two months.