More medics for mourners as crowd keeps swelling
>> The government has added 200 medical workers to the voluntary team providing services to mourners visiting Sanam Luang and the Grand Palace to pay tribute to the late King.
The extra workers, recruited from more than 20 private hospitals, will travel around on foot to offer help to people, said Prime Minister’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana yesterday.
The Labour Ministry has arranged more tents for the workers to use as temporary offices.
A huge number of mourners are expected to visit Sanam Luang and the Grand Palace over the long weekend.
More police officers have been added to the security force maintaining law and order in the area, Mr Suwaphan said.
About 200 more officers from all police stations in Bangkok and 1,500 more officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Provincial Police Region 1-9 have been deployed to patrol the mourning ceremony site.
The government’s situation monitoring command centre plans to hold a new meeting on Wednesday to discuss a possible adjustment to the security measures currently maintained at Sanam Luang and around the Grand Palace.
The security measures may have to be altered as the Bureau of the Royal Household will from Friday allow mourners to pay their respects to the late King inside the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall at the Grand Palace.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority had added more than 100 extra bus rides to transport mourners to their destinations.
The Transport Co has also increased its inter-city bus trips by 25%, which should help accommodate 300,000 more passengers a day, said Lt Gen Sansern.
The State Railway of Thailand has added 150 special train services to cope with a dramatic rise in demand for trains between the provinces and Bangkok.
When arriving in Bangkok, those coming from the provinces are advised to switch to the shuttle buses provided by the military and City Hall at several spots for their own convenience.
Assistance such as wheelchairs and medical services are available for people with special needs including children, the elderly and the disabled.
As for those interested in donating cooked food to mourners at Sanam Laung, the government is urging them to consider switching to dried or instant food because the amount of donated freshly cooked food was more than needed.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants the excess food to be diverted to other areas such as flood-hit provinces.