Former Thai PM and influential royal adviser Prem Tinsulanonda dies at 98

FILE PHOTO: Thailand's former Prime Minister and President of the Royal Privy Council Prem Tinsulanonda is seen during an official event in Bangkok, Thailand April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Former Thai prime minister and influential royal adviser General Prem Tinsulanonda died on Sunday morning at age 98 in a Bangkok hospital, a palace official told Reuters.

As chairman of the prestigious Privy Council of royal advisers, Prem played an important role in organising the ornate coronation of the King Maha Vajiralongkorn earlier this month, and also served briefly as the country’s regent shortly after King Bhumibol, the current monarch’s father, died in 2016 after a 70-year reign.