WASHINGTON: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he hoped Thailand will honour King Bhumibol Adulyadej's legacy of commitment to universal values and respect for human rights, his spokesman said in a statement following the king's death on Thursday.

King Bhumibol, who reigned for seven decades, died in hospital at age 88. In 2006, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the United Nations Development Programme, according to Ban's statement.