World Leaders Express Condolences to Thai People, Royal Family
Thai people cry after Royal Palace's announcement outside Siriraj Hospital where King Bhumibol Adulyadej was being treated, in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016.
World leaders are expressing their condolences to the Thai people as they mourn the loss of their beloved King Bhumibol, who had served for 70 years.
U.N. Secretary General Ban ki Moon expressed his "deep condolences" for the Royal family, the government, and people of Thailand Thursday, acknowledging the King's dedication to unifying the country.
"The Secretary-General expresses his hope that Thailand will continue to honor King Bhumibol's legacy of commitment to universal values and respect for human rights," a statement attributable for his spokesperson said.
President Barack Obama said the king was a close friend of the United States and a valued partner of many U.S. presidents, recalling a meeting with the King during a 2012 visit to Bangkok.
"His majesty leaves a legacy of care for the Thai people that will be cherished by future generations," a statement released by the White House read. "The American people and I stand with the people of Thailand as we mourn His Majesty the King's passing, and today we hold the Thai people in our thoughts and prayers."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry joined President Obama in expressing his condolences to the Thai people, saying their King "will be long remembered and will be deeply missed".
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he remembered the King as a "highly gifted and gentle person," expressing his "deep sorrow" at his death.
King Bhumibol, also known as King Rama IX, died Thursday afternoon in a hospital in Bangkok at the age of 88.
In Photos: The Reign of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej
In Photos: The Reign of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej
1/22FILE - Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej leaves the Siriraj Hospital for a ceremony at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
2/22Well-wishers hug as they weep outside Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Siriraj hospital where he was residing in Bangkok, Thailand.
3/22A woman weeps after an announcement that Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died, at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 13, 2016.
4/22People weep after an announcement that Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died, at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 13, 2016.
5/22Well-wishers pray for King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, where he is hospitalized, Oct. 12, 2016.
6/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit leave Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, Aug. 1, 2013.
7/22In this photo released by Thailand's Royal Household Bureau, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, second from left, along with Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, third from left, Princess Chulabhorn, Princess Sirindhorn, and Consort Princess Srirasm, right, arrive at Klai Kangwon Palace before a ceremony in celebration of the king's 86th birthday in Prachuap Khiri Khan province Thailand, Dec. 5, 2013.
8/22This undated handout photo received 26 Dec. 2002 shows Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his dogs at the Royal Palace in Bangkok. The tale of a stray dog born that won the heart of the country's much-loved king has recently become the nation's latest publishing sensation.
9/22A portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (L) adorns a stage as fireworks explode over Bangkok, Dec. 5, 1999, in celebration of the king's 72nd birthday.
10/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej (R) harvests rice at a project sponsored by the royal family in Prachinburi province about 100 kms east of Bangkok, Nov. 18, 1998. The 71-year-old king told local farmers that self-reliance would help them weather the country's most severe economic crisis in decades.
11/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej grants an occasion to newly appointed Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, Nov. 14, 1997.
12/22King Bhumibol convenes the first meeting of his country's National Reform Assembly in a ceremony held recently in Bangkok, Nov. 30, 1976.
13/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej (C) sits on the Royal Barge during the Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Nov. 4, 1999.
14/22King Bhumibol lights the flame for the 13th Asian Games, Dec. 3, 1998, during a ceremony at Chitrlada Palace, the King's residence, during a ceremony three days prior to the start of the games.
15/22Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej receives a small rose plant from a woman as he makes a visit to one of his crop substitution projects in Northern Thailand, Feb. 16, 1981.
16/22King Bhumibol Adulydej and Queen Sirikit (left) talked to 100 demonstrators in Bangkok, Oct. 15, 1973, during demonstration which resulted in fall of Thanom Kittikachorn government.
17/22The Thi royal family walks through the garden of their residence at Sunninghill, Berkshire, United Kingdom where they are staying during their private visit to Britain, July 27, 1966.
18/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej is carried on the shoulders of Royal guards during a parade in Bangkok Dec. 7, 1963. The parade climaxed one week-long celebration of the King's 36th birthday.
19/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej clad in sports shirt and slacks, swings into a hot chorus on the alto sax with his 13-piece jazz band, Nov. 13, 1962.
20/22Princess Ubol Ratana (diamond lotus) with her parents, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 24, and Queen Sirikit, 19, May 2, 1951. The Princess was born at Lausanne, Switzerland on April 6, eleven months after the marriage and coronation of her parents in Bangkok.
21/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Rama IX, is carried by a cortege during the Coronation ceremony, May 5, 1950.
22/22Thailand's Prince Bhumibol, left, now King Bhumibol Adulyadej, known as Rama IX, with his brother Prince Ananda, the former King Ananada Mahidol, in the grounds of the school in Lausanne Switzerland, on March 7, 1935.
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