Once again, it was deference to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej that stopped the recent political uprising in Thailand. On December 4, the violent protests against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra came to a halt, so people could prepare for next day's celebration in honor of the revered monarch's 86th birthday.

From his palace in the coastal resort town of Hua Hin, King Bhumibol, looking old and frail but in aapparently bette