One year after King’s death, Thais prepare for final goodbye
BANGKOK: Monks led somber ceremonies across Thailand Friday to mark one year since the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as the grieving to the beloved monarch in a spectacular cremation ceremony this month.
Revered as a demigod and described as a “father” to all Thais, Bhumibol commanded deep devotion during his historic 70-year reign.
The past year has drawn out widespread scenes of collective mourning across the kingdom, with many Thais expunging color from their wardrobes and donning only black and white for most of the year.
The solemn mood has deepened this month as the kingdom grapples the monarch during his October 26 day funeral that will send Bhumibol’s spirit to the afterlife.
On Friday black- clad Thais streamed into temples, state agencies and the courtyard of the Bangkok hospital where Bhumibol passed away last year to give alms to Buddhist monks in his honor.
“I don’t want the cremation ceremony to take place, I just can’t cope with it,” 57-year-old Kanokporn Chavasith, one of hundreds of mourners gathering outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok, said through tears.
Another bleary-eyed mourner, 61-year-old Chalita U-sap, added: “I want him to stay with us forever.”
public holiday and the nation plans to hold a moment of silence at 3:52 p.m., the exact time the monarch died at age 88 following years of poor health.
Marigolds and muted TV
Public displays of mourning have been encouraged and orchestrated by the ultra-royalist junta that seized power in 2014 as Bhumibol’s health was declining.
As the massive funeral draws nearer, TV channels have been ordered to reduce their color saturation, refrain from overly-joyous content and roll out documentaries highlighting the king’s good works.
Businesses have erected portraits of the bespectacled monarch, while parks and pavements have been lined with Bhumibol.
Bhumibol’s successor, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has yet to attain his father’s level of popularity and spends much of his time abroad.
His relationship with the military rulers and other traditional power opacity of royal affairs and the lese majeste law.
But the 65-year-old has already made moves to consolidate control over the palace bureaucracy and reduce government oversight during
Vajiralongkorn, who will lead an alms-giving ceremony at the Grand Palace Friday evening, is expected to hold his coronation after his father’s funeral, though no date has been set.
In a letter to the public this week, he expressed gratitude to the some 12 million Thais who visited to the throne hall where Bhumibol’s body has been lying in state.