A man sells portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (R) and his father in Bangkok on December 5, 2008. The revered monarch turned 81 on December 5, 2008 but pulled out of his customary birthday address the previous day due to illness, ending hopes that he might offer guidance on a way out of the nation's long-running political crisis. Getty Images logo Getty Images 11 months ago

A man sells portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (R) and his father in Bangkok on December 5, 2008. The revered monarch turned 81 on December 5, 2008 but pulled out of his customary birthday address the previous day due to illness, ending hopes that he might offer guidance on a way out of the nation's long-running political crisis.