THAILAND : Millions of Thai Honor King

Millions of Thais wore their king's royal color Friday, turning Bangkok into a sea of yellow to honor the world's longest-serving monarch as he marked 60 years on the throne with a plea for political unity.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 78, stepped onto a palace balcony wearing a gold brocade gown and greeted an adoring crowd of hundreds of thousands in what was only the third such appearance of his reign. Cannons boomed in salute.

Virtually all the onlookers - and most Thais throughout the capital - wore the royal color in an organized tribute that has become a nationwide mania, with vendors scrambling to keep yellow shirts in stock.

Young and old jammed the Royal Plaza and surrounding streets, stretching as far as the eye could see. Many had come a day earlier. Police estimated as many as 700,000 were in the crowd.

Link( Picture via BBC )