Sea of black as thousands gather in Thailand for late king's funeral

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Sea of black as thousands gather in Thailand for late king's funeral

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panu Wongcha-um

 

Mourners react as the Royal Urn of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej is carried by the Great Victory Chariot during a royal cremation procession at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagol

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Amid beating drums, the whistle of an ancient flute and an artillery salute, Thailand began a lavish and elaborate ceremony on Thursday steeped in ancient rites for the funeral and cremation of revered late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

 

Hundreds of thousands of black-clad mourners lined the streets of Bangkok to watch the funeral procession, with buildings on the route draped in yellow marigolds before his cremation.

 

Mourners slept overnight on thin plastic mats on pavements near the Grand Palace in the Thai capital so they could get a good view of the procession.

 

"This is the last goodbye. I really love and miss him. It is very difficult to describe," said a tearful Pimsupak Suthin, 42, who traveled to Bangkok from the northern province of Nan.

 

King Bhumibol, also known as King Rama IX, died last October aged 88 after ruling for seven decades. He played a pivotal role in maintaining stability during years of political upheaval and rapid development.

 

Officials dressed in blue and orange removed a symbolic golden urn from the Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall at the start of the ceremony.

 

The late king's body, which had been lying in state at the palace since his death, was moved to the cremation area on Wednesday night.

 

New King Maha Vajiralongkorn, King Bhumibol's only son, arrived at the Grand Palace dressed in a red uniform with his two daughters and young son.

 

He presided over religious chanting as the urn was removed by soldiers and placed onto a golden chariot. Other senior members of the Thai royal family walked behind the urn, which arrived at the royal crematorium early on Thursday afternoon before the evening's cremation.

 

All television stations in Thailand broadcast the ceremony that evoked images of ancient Siam, Thailand's former name.

 

Ancient Thai beliefs dictate that the rites in the funeral ceremony will ensure the late king's return to heaven. The Thai word "sawannakhot", which means "return to heaven", is used to describe a monarch's death.

 

FLOWERS, PROSTRATION

 

Officials in charge of the ceremony said around 110,000 members of the public had gathered near the cremation area, with another 200,000 in adjacent areas in the city's historic centre.

 

A series of processions leading the urn wound through the streets from the Grand Palace in Bangkok's historic quarter to the 50-metre (165-feet) high Royal Crematorium that has been erected in a square nearby.

 

A sum of $90 million has been set aside for the funeral, the likes of which has never been seen in Thailand, officials have said, even though King Bhumibol was portrayed as a frugal man despite being one of the world's wealthiest monarchs.

 

In other parts of the Thai capital and around the country, 85 smaller replicas of the royal crematorium and more than 870 pavilions were built for mourners to lay sandalwood flowers and pay their final respects to their beloved king.

 

Many were visibly moved as dozens of men, clad in ancient red garb, pulled the golden chariot carrying the royal urn.

 

Others clutched black and white pictures of the late king and many chose to prostrate themselves as the royal urn passed by. The practise was abolished in 1873 by King Chulalongkorn, also known as Rama V.

 

In Nonthaburi province north of Bangkok, a long queue of black-clad mourners waited to place sandalwood flowers to pay their final respects as volunteers handed out food.

 

DEATH LEAVES A VACUUM

 

Piyamat Potsopho, 38, said she had been waiting for the king's funeral procession in Bangkok since Wednesday night.

 

"I was very fortunate to have been born under the reign of King Rama IX," she said.

 

Analysts say the king's death has left a large vacuum in the Thai psyche.

 

Thailand has observed a year of mourning and radio and television stations have played songs dedicated to the monarch almost non-stop. The songs urge Thais to follow in "father's footsteps".

 

King Bhumibol is often referred to as "father" by Thais and is credited with reviving the popularity of the monarchy.

 

Days of heavy rain failed to deter mourners, many of whom pitched tents in order to gain the best access to the funeral.

 

Many businesses around the Southeast Asian nation were shut, while Bangkok's old quarter was draped in floral garlands made of marigolds. Some government buildings placed potted yellow marigolds around portraits of the late king.

 

King Bhumibol was born on a Monday, a day which Thais associate with the colour yellow.

 

(Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat, Juarawee Kittisilpa and Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-10-26

[webfact]

King’s legacy lives in Thai hearts

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation 

 

 

Mourners in and around the royal cremation pledge to remember his lessons
 

TENS OF THOUSANDS of people from all over the country thronged to the Sanam Luang area to bid a final farewell to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

 

While they all strove to get a place close to the Royal Cremation ceremonial grounds, not everyone was lucky enough to make it and witness the royal procession with their own eyes.

In the afternoon yesterday, the joint command centre of the Royal Cremation Ceremony announced that 157,778 people had been admitted into the ceremonial grounds. However, an even greater number were outside the screening gates and in the vicinity. These people would have to be content with being as close as possible to the funeral of the late monarch outside the ceremonial grounds.

 

It was a sunny day with just a few clouds in the sky when the Royal Cremation Ceremony began on schedule at 7am. But soon loyal subjects had to come to terms with the reality that the moment they had long dreaded was now fast approaching. 

 

The first half of the religious ceremony took place inside the Grand Palace, which was telecast over large screens at the event grounds.

 

Once the Royal Urn was transported by the Phra Yannamas Sam Lam Khan, or the Palanquin with Three Poles, out of the Grand Palace and the royal procession started, people at the ceremonial grounds watched with rapt attention, paying their respects to the Royal Urn as the procession passed in front of them.

 

At the north of the ceremonial grounds beyond the royal procession route, people waited patiently in the hope that they might have a chance to see the royal procession with their own eyes, even if from a distance.

 

Knita Budsapha, a 52-year-old farmer from Sukhothai province, was there during the royal procession and described it as the most momentous event in her life, which she would never forget.

 

“After I had been waiting for more than 30 hours, in the end the golden spire of Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot Chariot appeared before me with the sound of music that played during the royal procession. Even though it was very far away, I could still see,” Knita said.

 

“I cannot explain my feelings at that moment. I am happy to have had the chance to be involved in the Royal Cremation Ceremony, but as the realisation dawned on me that these would be the last moments my beloved King would be on Earth, my heart is feeling the pain and I am full of grief.”

 

As the Royal Urn was taken to the Royal Crematorium, many people started to cry silently.

Even the weather seemed to reflect the people’s |collective grief as dark clouds cast a pall over Sanam Luang.

 

Beyond the perimeter of the Royal Cremation |ceremonial grounds, people who could not enter the royal event also expressed similar feelings.

 

Pimolrat Khetkaew, a 50-year-old woman from Songkhla province, was watching the live broadcast of the royal procession on television at a small |restaurant in a small alley near Khao San Road along with some 10 other mourners.

 

“I came here with my elderly mother but we could not enter the ceremonial ground because the queue was too long. We also cannot gather with the rest of the people outside at Rajdamnoen Avenue because it was so crowded and we could not even breathe. So, we came here and we’re watching the ceremony with the restaurant owner,” Pimolrat said.

 

As the first royal procession appeared on the TV screens, there were tears in many people’s eyes. People in the small restaurant watched the live broadcast in silence.

 

Pimolrat said she was very saddened by the departure of the late King, but added that his legacy and memories would always be in her heart. Like Knita, Pimolrat also pledged to abide by the late King’s lessons on sufficiency economy and mixed agriculture.

 

“King Bhumibol taught us several good lessons and what we have to do now is to continue his will and live by his lessons,” she said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30330185

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-10-27