Thais begin celebrations of royal anniversary

BANGKOK, June 9: Yellow-clad Thais in their millions began jubilant celebrations today to mark revered King Bhumibol Aduljadej's 60 years on the throne, putting a deep political crisis on hold.

Tens of thousands headed to Bangkok's Royal Plaza to see their beloved monarch, the world's longest reigning king, in person, dwarfing the number of protesters gathered there three months ago calling for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to quit.

''Certainly, he's such an important figure in Thai people's lives,'' said U.S.-born Bangkok-based consultant John Crane, sporting a yellow bracelet to mark the festivities.

''At all levels of society there is huge respect for the king, stemming from his own personal example.'' The king will kick off the five-day celebrations with a nationally televised appearance at the Royal Plaza, where huge crowds camped under umbrellas to protect them from the hot morning sun.

The festivities include a gala dinner attended by royalty from 25 nations, a spectacular royal barge procession manned by up to 2,500 navy officers and the release of 25,000 prisoners serving jail time for petty crimes.

Thais are not missing out on the opportunity to party. Tens of thousands are expected to watch fireworks marking the celebration on Friday night.

And almost all are wearing shirts in yellow, the colour of the king's birth day, Monday, depleting stores of their stocks and sparking rocketing prices for the sunny-hued garments.

''I ordered ahead of time,'' said graphic designer Jit Wongsa, 25, wearing his hard-won yellow polo shirt with the royal insignia. ''It's so expensive otherwise.'' FADING MEMORY? But reverence for the quiet-spoken, bespectacled monarch may be the only sentiment many Thais currently share.

''There are a lot of unsolved and unresolved issues in the political arena and this temporary truce should not be taken as an indication that things have quietened down,'' said consultant Christopher Bruton of Bangkok-based Dataconsult.

After months of street protests calling for his head, Thaksin called a snap poll in April, which was boycotted by the main opposition. The election failed to return a valid parliament and was later declared unlawful.

The intense bickering faded as the royal anniversary neared, every politician wary of acting inappropriately and losing support. It will crank up again once the celebrations are over.

But on Friday, as Thais prepared for a four-day holiday weekend, trade on the stock market slowed to a trickle.

''The square root of nada is being traded on this market,'' said one foreign trader, using the Spanish word for nothing as he watched golf on television during the morning session.

Reuters