Thai unifying figure leaves lasting legacy

KING Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who took the throne of the kingdom once known as Siam shortly after World War II and held it for more than 70 years, establishing himself as a revered personification of Thai nationhood, died on Thursday in Bangkok. He was 88 and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history.

The royal palace said that he died at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, but it did not give a cause or further details.

King Bhumibol, politically influential and highly revered, was a unifying figure in a deeply polarised country, and his death casts a pall of uncertainty across Thailand.

The military junta, which seized power in a coup two years ago, derives its authority from the king. The king's heir apparent, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, is seen by many as a jet-setting playboy and not held in the same…