Prayers for the King as his condition described as "not stable" (Updated)

The general condition of His Majesty the King has not been stablised and royal doctors are prescribing medication to treat his symptoms, the Royal Household Bureau said on Wednesday night, as members of the Royal Family and well-wishers have gathered at Siriraj Hospital.

Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning

Thursday afternoon updates

Gatherings of the King's well-wishers expand nationwide

Online Reporters

The crowd of well-wishers praying for His Majesty the King continued to swell outside Siriraj Hospital as his loving subjects also gathered at government offices nationwide for prayers on Thursday.

Concerned about reports on His Majesty the King's health, a steady stream of people was arriving at Siriraj Hospital, many from outlying provinces. Well-wishers gave alms to Buddhist monks at the hospital in the morning, making merit for the King.

Their prayers for the good health of His Majesty continued to be the main activity throughout the day.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, HRH Princess Soamsawali and HRH Princess Chulabhorn are already at the hospital in Bangkok Noi district.

In Bangkok people wrote their names and best wishes for the King's recovery in books at the Sahathai Samakom Pavilion in the Grand Palace.

Government organisations were holding gatherings for their officials to pray for His Majesty's health.

With most people clearly unable to travel to Bangkok, interior permanent secretary Grisada Boonrach  ordered the proper arrangement of places at provincial halls, district offices and local administrative organisation offices nationwide for people to sign books sending their  best wishes to His Majesty the King and praying for his good health.

Pink avatar, love for King banner reign on social media

Online reporters

Large numbers of Thai social media users have changed their account profile image and banner to pink with the same message of love for His Majesty the King.

The pink avatar with the main message reading "Love the King"  and a small message saying "Long Live the King" now dominate Thai accounts on Twitter and Instagram.

The highest profile figure to make the change is Princess Ubolratana. Her avatar now says "Nicha Love the King", on her @nichax IG account.

A Facebook user named Kulthida Kul reportedly designed this popular avatar and put it in her Facebook album, allowing people to use it for free. Its use has gone viral on social media.

She put up the same avatar with hundreds of nicknames already attached. People can also copy it and change the name for free.

"Feel free to use it," she wrote on her Facebook account. "No permission is needed for sharing this album."

The designer could not be contacted by the Bangkok Post as her Facebook account seemed extremely busy.

On Facebook, former prime ministers Abhisit Vejjajiva, Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother Thaksin have also changed the banner of their Facebook accounts to pink with the "Long Live the King" message.

Yellow is the colour for His Majesty because he was born on a Monday. Pink has been associated with the King for many years, ever since royal astrologers said it was a good colour for him and helped keep him well.

Thursday morning story

King 'not stabilised' as Royal Family gathers at Siriraj

The general condition of His Majesty the King has not been stablised and royal doctors are prescribing medication to treat his symptoms, the Royal Household Bureau said on Wednesday night, as members of the Royal Family and well-wishers gathered at Siriraj Hospital.

In the 38th statement, the bureau said that on Tuesday, His Majesty's blood pressure dropped while his pulse and the levels of acid in the blood increased.

The results of a blood test showed inflammation and abnormal functioning of the liver, so royal doctors prescribed antibiotics to treat the inflammation and took steps to reduce acidity in the blood.

The royal doctors also used drugs to control his blood pressure, employed a ventilator and performed continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).

According to the statement, His Majesty's general condition is not stable and royal doctors continue to closely monitor his condition.

Present at the hospital in Bangkok from Wednesday afternoon were HRH Princess Chulabhorn and her daughters HRH Princess Siribha Chudhabhorn and HRH Princess Adityadornkitikhun.

Later Princess Ubolratana arrived at the hospital, followed by HRH the Crown Prince who had just returned from abroad, and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The compound of the nation's first hospital was full with well-wishers who were praying for the good health of His Majesty the King who will turn 89 this December.

"His Majesty the King is the heart of Thailand," said 42-year-old teacher Donnapha Kladbupha. "I know everyone will wish him a speedy recovery, but I want to see his smile after his recovery too."

Suwanna Kenamthiangwan, 62, was trying to get as close as possible to His Majesty the King's building together with some 20 friends. All wore pink, the colour believed to help promote His Majesty's health.

"I will stop praying for him only when he gets better," she said, holding His Majesty the King's portrait to her chest.

The Royal Household Bureau announced on Sunday that royal doctors performed haemodialysis on His Majesty, used drugs to control his blood pressure and put His Majesty on a medical ventilator to bring his blood pressure back to normal levels.

Well-wishers at Siriraj Hospital. (Video by Jiraporn Kuhakan)

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/1109348/prayers-for-the-king-as-his-condition-described-as-not-stable-