Royalty gathers to honour Thai king's jubilee

Japanese Emperor Akihito arrived ahead of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden to join other luminaries at one of Thailand's biggest parties.

The arrivals of the royal visitors gave Thai police a mammoth security job requiring the closure of main arteries in central Bangkok and the highway linking it to the airport.

The five-day festivities started on Friday and will culminate in a rare procession of glittering barges on the Chao Phraya River that has been staged only 14 times during King Bhumibol's long reign.

Partly to let royal motorcades speed through usually congested central Bangkok, the government declared three extra public holidays to keep cars off the streets.

King Bhumibol (pronounced "Pumipon") ascended to the throne in 1946 at the age of 18 at a time when the world was shaking off the ravages of World War II.