Jubilant throngs of well-wishers wept, sang and shouted "Long Live the King" as he was wheeled down a ramp out of the hospital where he stayed since July 20.

The 78-year-old monarch was admitted to the operation for an operation to treat a lumbar spinal stenosis, a degenerative narrowing of the spinal canal.

Throughout 16 days of HM the King's staying at the hospital, Thais had maintained vigils praying for the health and recovery their much-revered sovereign.

Daily life in Bangkok and throughout the country came to a sudden standstill on Friday afternoon as people wearing in yellow shirts poured onto the streets or sat glued in front of television sets to watch live coverage of the king's emergence.