Mourners to swell
Prince Dipangkorn helps out volunteers
King to perform cremation ceremony, witnessed by royal guests, foreign dignitaries.
The day of the nation’s deepest grief has arrived when hundreds of thousands of mourners will pack into Sanam Luang and surrounding areas to bid final farewell to their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej at his royal cremation.
Today, the royal cremation of the late King is under way, culminating in a year of preparations for the grand, solemn event that unites the country in their bereavement and remembrance of a monarch who gave his all for the country.
The royal cremation will be performed at 10pm today by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun at the royal crematorium at Sanam Luang attended by kings and queens, princes and princesses, foreign dignitaries and representatives and government officials. It also will be witnessed by people around the crematorium grounds and via a nationwide broadcast.
His Majesty the King will preside over the funeral ceremonies which commence at 7am today with the transfer of the royal urn to the Phra Maru Mas or the royal crematorium.
The King will arrive at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace where the royal funeral urn of the late King is placed. Religious rites will be performed for moving the royal urn to Phra Yannamas Sam Lam Kan, the triple beam royal palanquin.
The royal urn will be moved out of the Grand Palace via the Thewa Phirom Gate and into the first royal procession. The procession will head to Wat Phra Chetuphon where the royal urn will be placed on the Phra Maha Phichai Rajarot, or the Great Victory Chariot, which will be waiting in the second royal procession.
The second procession will transport the royal urn to Phra Meru Mas, the royal crematorium, at Sanam Luang.
After arriving at the royal crematorium, the royal urn will be moved to Rajarot Puen Yai or the royal gun carriage which will be waiting in the third procession before circling the royal crematorium in a counterclockwise direction three times.
The royal urn will later be placed in the royal crematorium.
At 4.30pm, His Majesty the King will return to the royal crematorium and take his seat inside the Dharma Royal Pavilion.
The royal ceremonies and religious rites, including laying the funeral flowers at Phra Meru Mas, will proceed until 10pm when the actual royal cremation takes place.
Ahead of the royal cremation, mourners from around the country flocked to Sanam Luang and surrounding areas and camped on footpaths amid hot weather and heavy rain as they waited to attend the ceremonies today.
More than 20,000 mourners had passed through security screening at nine checkpoints around the royal cremation venue yesterday, and a large amount of people were waiting to be screened, when the checkpoints closed in the afternoon during an early ceremony. They re-opened again at 8.30pm last night.
His Royal Highness Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, son of His Majesty the King, yesterday joined volunteers in handing out water, food and smelling salts to mourners who had passed through security checks to the prepared areas in front of the City Pillar Shrine and former Supreme Court building.
Previously, space surrounding the royal cremation ground prepared for the public was sufficient for only about 50,000 people.
But government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday that His Majesty the King had instructed the government to open more areas to accommodate mourners.
The government subsequently opened areas next to the walls of the Grand Palace on Maha Rat and Thai Wang roads, the road from the Territorial Defence Command to the City Pillar Shrine and footpaths on Sanam Luang.
Consequently the number of mourners at the ceremonial venues would rise from 50,000 to 110,000, Lt Gen Sansern said.
Pol Maj Gen Montri Yimyaem, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Bureau, said more than 300,000 mourners were expected to flock to Sanam Luang and surrounding areas today to join the historic event.
Pimporn Siriwan, who owns an advertising company, said she and her friends travelled from Hat Yai district, Songkhla, and arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday morning. They joined a long queue from Khlong Lot near Mon Bridge.
Ms Pimporn said she met several people who made the long journey from their upcountry provinces to take part in the ceremony to pay respects to the late King.
Nobody complained about inconveniences despite heavy rain, hot weather or difficulty in finding toilets. “When it was raining, mourners helped each other put their umbrellas up and collect reed mats they used for taking rest or sleeping,” she said. Residents at Pak Khlong Talat also provided food and drinking water for mourners.
Piyawan Luangpakorn, owner of a restaurant on Atsadang Road, also distributed boiled rice and coffee to mourners. She also let them use a toilet inside her house.
Pa Nuan and Pa Wassana, elderly residents of Si Sa Ket and Nonthaburi respectively, said they joined the queue with other old mourners as they wanted to pay respects to their beloved King for the last time.
After passing through the checkpoint yesterday, Ms Pimporn said that even though it did not rain, all mourners were well-prepared by carrying raincoats and umbrellas.
On social networks, stories and photos narrating experiences of mourners nationwide were shared among netizens.