LEAD: Thai king urges national unity in birthday address

Dec 5, 2011, 5:51 GMT

Eds: Recasts, adds king's quotes; corrects the slug; epa photos available =

Bangkok (dpa) - Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Monday urged national unity in addressing problems caused by recent devastating floods in a now-rare public appearance for his 84th birthday.

The king, adorned in golden robes and flanked by other members of the royal family, sat on the balcony of the Chakri Throne Hall to address more than 8,000 honorary guests who had gathered at the Grand Palace to commemorate his birthday.

'The people have suffered greatly from the floods,' the king said, reading slowly from a two-page speech. 'It is the duty of all parties to join hands to address their problems quickly.'

Thailand has been hit this monsoon season by the worst floods in five decades, triggered by unusually heavy rains and the need to release water from the country's main dam reservoirs in the north in early October.

The reservoir runoff caused the Chao Phraya River to break its banks as it flowed through the central plains and Bangkok en route to the sea.

The floodwaters claimed an estimated 675 lives, caused billions of dollars in damage to industrial zones north of Bangkok and forced tens of thousands of people to flee their inundated homes.

King Bhumibol, who has been hospitalized for the past two years, devoted much of his lifetime to addressing rural poverty in Thailand.

He initiated hundreds of irrigation projects and water management schemes during his monarchy, and in his 1990 birthday speech advised the government to prepare parts of eastern Bangkok as a flood gate for the capital.

That speech has been replayed by the media repeatedly in recent months, as the government has battled to keep floodwaters out of inner Bangkok, leaving the suburbs submerged for months.

King Bhumibol reportedly suffered internal bleeding on November 19, from what doctors suspect was stress from continuously monitoring the flood crisis.

The king was admitted to hospital on September 19, 2009 with a fever. He has taken up permanent residence in Siriraj Hospital since, performing his duties as head of state from the hospital's 16th floor, which has been transformed into a royal office.

The king's audience at the Grand Palace was his first public appearance since his 83rd birthday.

Earlier Monday, he left the hospital in a wheelchair amid shouts of 'Long live the King' from well-wishers who had waited for hours to get a glimpse of their monarch.

His convoy was greeted by thousands of people waving the yellow flag of the monarchy and the red, white and blue national flag.

'I want the king to live for a long time,' said Supak Daengprasert, 68. 'I love the king and know the king wants Thai people to love each other, and not be split into different camps.'

Thailand has suffered increasing political turbulence over the past five years, with a deep divide emerging between pro-royalists and their opponents.

'I blame politicians for trying to involve the monarchy in politics for their own purposes,' Supak said.

Thailand has had a constitutional monarchy since 1932, when the absolute monarchy was ended by a military coup. The king has no executive powers, although King Bhumibol has acquired 'moral powers' over his years of virtuous and selfless rule, experts say.