Thailand mourns its king

BANGKOK: Thais in their thousands, dressed in sombre black and white, descended on the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Saturday to mourn the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, but were met with the closure of the complex.

The crowds lining outside since dawn were subdued and orderly despite the swelling numbers. People shared food and handed each other water and wet towels to cope with the South-East Asian heat. Around midmorning, police announced the palace was closed for seven days. Still, most people waiting remained outside and authorities soon announced entry would be allowed into the palace’s Sala Sahathai Samakhom Hall as a place to pay respects for limited hours in the afternoon.

“I left home at 6am to come here,” said Rakchadaporn Unnankad, a Bangkok office worker. “We were queuing for so long before they told us that we can’t go inside. There were people who have been here since 4-5am,” she said.

“My tears started flowing out of me without my realising,” the 24-year-old said, recalling the news of Bhumibol’s death. “I didn’t even want to hear the announcement.”

Buddhist funeral ceremonies began at the Grand Palace on Friday after a royal motorcade led by a van carrying Bhumibol’s body and monks drove to the palace from nearby Siriraj Hospital, where the king died Thursday, aged 88.

People sat four to five rows deep on both sides of the road, sobbing and bowing as the convoy passed. Most held portraits of the king. Some pulled currency notes from their wallets: all bank notes carry the king’s face. Many had camped 24 hours since Thursday.