festivities. In addition, there were banquets, fireworks, royal barge processions, concerts and official royal pardons for 25,000 convicts.
The joyous celebration of Bhumibol's 60-year reign brought to the fore worrisome questions of his succession. The octogenarian king has spent much of the past two years in the hospital, suffering from back problems, Parkinson's disease and depression.
Bhumibol and Sirikit's son, Prince Bajiralongkorn (born 1952), is the heir apparent, but he is not nearly as popular as his parents. Prince Bajiralongkorn is rumored to have a gambling problem and a very active private life, in addition to be "erratic."