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Thai king turns 80, nation wears yellow

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Thailand celebrated on Wednesday the 80th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving monarch.
BANGKOK, December 5 (RIA Novosti) - Thailand celebrated on Wednesday the 80th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-serving monarch.

Over 100,000 people, almost without exception dressed in yellow, lined the center of the capital, Bangkok, waving and cheering the king as he drove past on his way to the sumptuous Grand Palace.

In Thailand, yellow is the color associated with Monday, the day the king was born, and has come to symbolize devotion to the monarchy in this Southeast Asian country.

King Bhumibol, dressed in a gold robe, then delivered a short speech from the palace balcony, saying that, "Whether soldiers or civilians, (we) must be united, like our legs that must be united - which means one goes forward and one pushes back before moving forward."

"This way, we could walk without falling. Without unity, the country will face disaster."

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup last year. The country is set to return to democratic rule after a general election later this month. A weak coalition is considered to be the most likely outcome of the polls.

"I never thought I would live to be 80," the monarch also said in the televised address. He recently underwent surgery for a blood clot in his brain and intestinal problems.

Although he is a constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol has been forced to become involved in Thai politics during his 61-year reign. His time on the throne has seen 18 military coups, and the king has offered support for both military rule and democratic governments.

Russian President Vladimir Putin joined world leaders in wishing the monarch a happy birthday, saying that he "fondly remembered his visit to Bangkok in 2003," and that he was confident that Russian-Thai bilateral relations would continue to develop.

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