Nation pulls together to honour the Queen
Thai people nationwide yesterday celebrated Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 86th birthday and used the occasion to express love for their mothers to mark National Mothers’ Day.
The celebrations began in the morning when senior government officials led people in their provinces to give offerings to monks and making merit for Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the wife of the late King Rama IX.
The well-wishers mostly wore blue, the colour associated with Friday, the day the Queen was born.
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha presided over the ceremony at Sanam Luang ground in Bangkok, attended by 3,000 people including Privy Councillors, the presidents of the National Legislative Assembly and the Supreme Court, cabinet ministers and chiefs of the armed forces.
Government officials and members of the public then signed their names and wrote their best wishes for the Queen at specified locations.
Meanwhile, all branches of the armed forces fired 21-gun salutes in honour of the queen at noon.
The Royal Thai Army paid the salute at Sanam Luang grounds; the Royal Thai Navy at the Vichai Prasit Fort on Thon Buri side of Bangkok, while the Royal Thai Air Force fired their salute at Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy.
In the evening, Gen Prayut presided over a televised ceremony at Sanam Luang to express well wishes to the queen.
His Majesty King Rama X has granted approval for a grand merit-making ceremony for the late King Rama IX and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit at the Royal Plaza on Friday evening.
Charitable activities were organised across the country to pay tribute to the Queen’s contributions to the well-being and prosperity of the nation, which include the provision of free medical services and meals for the underprivileged, street cleaning, as well as exhibitions of silk fabrics and handicrafts, of which the Queen is a patron of.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon yesterday pledged to continue to work to realise the Queen’s wish to conserve forests in five provinces in the eastern region.
Gen Prawit, who chairs the Five Provinces Bordering Forests Preservation Foundation, led members of the foundation to pay their respects before the Queen’s portrait. As he thanked the foundation for its work, he said the efforts started to bear fruit even though it would take years before the queen’s wish is fully materialised.
As part of Mothers’ Day celebrations, Samran Gunan, mother of former Navy Seal Lt Cdr Saman Gunan who died on July 6 during Tham Luang cave rescue operation, was awarded the best mother of the year, after having travelled from Roi Et to accept the award in Bangkok.
In the “Sam the Hero” Facebook page, Ms Samran, 64, was quoted as saying she believed children would grow up to be good and responsible adults if their parents lead by example.
Meanwhile, j asmine — the flower commonly given t o mothers on t he special day — was in high demand as people bought floral decorations to mark the occasion.
Vendors at a municipal market in Chai Nat’s Muang district, one of the biggest flower markets in the province, said sales increased about 10-fold yesterday. It was reported that the prices of jasmine rose to 1,300 baht/kg, from its normal price of 500 baht/kg.
The US secretary of state Michael R Pompeo was among the foreign dignitaries who issued a statement from abroad.
“On behalf of the American people, I extend my warmest wishes on the special occasion of your eighty-sixth birthday. Your dedication to the people of Thailand has inspired many in the United States and around the world. May your humanitarian and philanthropic endeavors continue to benefit the people of the Kingdom of Thailand for generations to come,” he wrote in his message.