BANGKOK (DPA) — The world's longest-reigning monarch made a rare public appearance Tuesday during a Coronation Day ceremony at the Grand Palace in the Thai capital.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, was presiding over the ceremony to celebrate the 65th anniversary since his coronation on May 5, 1950.

He was accompanied by Crown Pince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 62, and Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, 60, at the ceremony.

A service was held in front of the Amarin Vinijchai Throne Hall in the Grand Palace complex.

King Bhumibol, or Rama IX, travelled to the event from Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital, where he currently resides.

The king is highly revered and regarded as a father figure by Thai people, many of whom deify him.

CHONBURI — A rooster and a hen tied the knot in Chonburi province today, a union that their owners hope will produce talented birds for cockfighting tournaments.

The wedding, which took place in a village in Ban Bueng district this morning, was modeled after a traditional Thai wedding with monks' prayer, wedding parade, and dowry. 

The “groom,” a rooster called Yod Makham, is an experienced gamecock that has never lost a match, said his owner, Weerachai Charunet. Weerachai, 54, estimated that Yod Makham is worth at least one million baht.

Saman Thongkam, the owner of the hen, said he spent months trying to convince Weerachai to agree to the marriage after he saw how skillfully Yod Makham beat one of his roosters in a competition. "In that match, mine was defeated in both scores and punches. It was a complete defeat," Saman told reporters. Weerachai eventually conceded, and received 300,000 baht in cash as dowry from Saman at the ceremony today. 

According to an agreement reached by the two men, Yod Makham will live with the hen, named Daeng Kyushu, in Nakhon Pathom province until the two produce offspring, estimated to be four to five months from now.  Afterward, Yod Makham will be returmed to Weerachai. 

"I want to develop better breed for gamecocks in our country," said Saman.

Cockfighting is a popular sport and lucrative industry in Thailand, though it has attracted criticism from animal rights advocates in recent years. The game is exempted from the animal cruelty law that was passed last November. Betting on cockfights is illegal, but the law is weakly enforced. 

CORRECTION: The rooster and hen did not compete in a cockfighting match as was originally reported. 

BANGKOK (DPA) — The world's longest-reigning monarch made a rare public appearance Tuesday during a Coronation Day ceremony at the Grand Palace in the Thai capital.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, was presiding over the ceremony to celebrate the 65th anniversary since his coronation on May 5, 1950.

He was accompanied by Crown Pince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 62, and Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, 60, at the ceremony.

A service was held in front of the Amarin Vinijchai Throne Hall in the Grand Palace complex.

King Bhumibol, or Rama IX, travelled to the event from Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital, where he currently resides.

The king is highly revered and regarded as a father figure by Thai people, many of whom deify him.

BANGKOK — Thai junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered police to crack down on drunk driving, a day after a 23-year-old woman driving under the influence killed three bicyclists in northern Thailand.

Gen. Prayuth specifically instructed police to organize more road check points and strictly refuse any bribes from motorists, said Maj.Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a spokesperson of the military government.

The scene of the car crash in Chiang Mai that killed three cyclists on 3 May 2015.

"The Prime Minister has also ordered police to investigate the facts that led to this tragedy," Maj.Gen. Sansern said. "For example, to find out where the [driver] was drinking. If it was a nightlife establishment, they must check whether illegal activity was involved, such as possible violation of a mandatory closing time, because the incident took place early in the morning but the motorist said she was still intoxicated." 

He added, "The Prime Minister does not want to just proceed with this incident. Police should tackle the root causes."

Phatchuda Chairuean, a university student, crashed her car into a group of bicyclists in Chiang Mai province at around 6 am on Sunday, killing three victims and injuring two other people. Phatchuda was also wounded in the crash and sent to hospital, where tests revealed that her blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit. Police say she was charged with reckless driving leading to deaths and injuries of others.

Drunk driving is a major cause of traffic accidents in Thailand. During the seven-day Thai New Year festival in April known as Songkran, intoxicated drivers were responsible for more than 1,000 road accidents, according to statistics compiled by the Thai authorities. 

The incident also came at a time when Thai authorities are encouraging more people to use bicycles to reduce fuel consumption and ease the notorious traffic jams in major cities, especially Bangkok. 

"Gen. Prayuth also extends his condolence to families and friends of the dead and injured," Maj.Gen. Sansern told reporters today. "He also urged traffic commuters to be compassionate and drive carefully, and to share the roads with bicyclists, which are increasing in number every year." 

Cyclists gather in Chiang Rai to promote road safety, 4 May 2015.

In February, a Chilean bicyclist was run over and killed in northeastern Thailand during his attempt to set a world record of cycling around the globe. 

BANGKOK — Three Thai men and one Burmese man have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a deadly detention camp for Rohingya refugees in southern Thailand.

Thai authorities discovered the camp and a "mass grave" containing at least 26 buried Rohingya people on Friday. Police believe the camp, which is located 300 meters from the Thai-Malaysian border, was used by human traffickers to detain Rohingya refugees and demand ransoms from their relatives.

Rescue workers carry a dead body from the suspected detention camp in Songkhla province on 1 May 2015.

According to police, the camp's operators fled the site several hours before security officers arrived, taking all of their captives with them except for one ill and malnourished Rohingya man found at the scene. 

Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumpanmuang, commander of Royal Thai Police, said today that four suspects have been arrested in connection to the camp. The suspects are identified as Amsan Intanu, 48; Roe Sonyalae, 41; Arlee Lamoh, 47; and So Niang Anu, 40. 

Amsan is an official at a local administrative agency, and So is a Burmese national, Pol.Gen. Somyot said. Two police officers from the police station nearest to the camp have also been indefinitely transferred, he said.

"Right now, it is clear that the detention camp and dead bodies we discovered are related to human-trafficking," Pol.Gen. Somyot told reporters. "It is also clear that this is a transnational operation." 

All four suspects have been charged with human trafficking, illegal detention, and abduction for ransom. Amsan was also charged with illegal possession of firearms. Police are looking for four more suspects.

Police believe up to 300 Rohingyas may have been interned at the site, which consists of wooden huts ringed by bamboo fences deep in the jungle in Songkhla province. Authorities believe those found buried at the camp died from illness or starvation. 

The Rohingyas are largely-Muslim group that hails from the Arakan region of Myanmar, where they have faced violent persecution from the region’s Buddhist majority. 

As a result of ethnic and religious violence, tens of thousands Rohingyas have crossed illegally into Thai territories, often in an effort to reach Muslim-friendly Malaysia. Some Rohingya refugees have been intercepted by human traffickers and held at detention camps for ransom, or sold as slaves onto Thai fishing boats. For years, Thai authorities have largely turned a blind eye. 

Last June, the United States government downgraded Thailand to the lowest rank in its annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report for failing to meet the minimum standards to combat trafficking. Thailand’s military government, which came to power in a coup d'etat a month prior to the downgrade, has made eradicating human smuggling a national priority. 

Asked to comment on whether the discovery of the camp and the mass grave will affect the upcoming TIP report, Pol.Gen. Somyot said the problem has been going on for many years, and insisted that any officials involved in human trafficking will be strictly punished. 

"The Prime Minister has instructed me that any state official involved in this must be dealt with severely. No exceptions," Pol.Gen. Somyot said.