Today’s proceedings at the palace’s Dusit Maha Prasad Throne Hall will start at 15:00. The ceremony will pave the pave way for transferring King Bhumibol’s bier to the purpose built crematorium site at nearby Sanam Luang Park.
Media sources in Bangkok say mourners started crowding designated viewpoints at 05:00 this morning. Some of the visitors arrived last night and braved rainstorms to be first in the queues this morning.
Sansern Kaewkamnerd is a spokesperson for the government and he says space for mourners at the cremation ground has been doubled to accommodate 110,000. 12GO ASIA says most roads within a two-kilometre radius of the palace are closed to vehicles and public transport is running normally in other areas of the city.
Our image of the Royal Cremation site was supplied by Thai PBS.
Thai King to attend first royal funeral ceremony at Grand Palace today
News in Asia
Thailand’s King Mahavajiralongkorn will be overseeing a merit-making rite at Bangkok’s Grand Palace later today. The ceremony is the first official one in the five-day-long Royal Cremation rites for his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.