BANGKOK // To the chants of Buddhist monks, long lines of black-clad mourners filed sombrely into Bangkok’s Grand Palace on Saturday as Thais were granted the first chance to enter the throne hall where their beloved late monarch is lying in state.
Tens of thousands of Thais descended on the city’s historic centre by convoys of government-organised buses and boats, many arriving the night before to ensure their place.
It was the latest stage in the nation’s grieving for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died this month aged 88 after 70 years on the throne — the world’s longest-reigning monarch.
As they walked into the palace grounds, many mourners clutched or held aloft portraits of the man revered as a unifying father figure in a country long plagued by political instability and coups.
An initial plan to limit visitors to 10,000 per day was dropped during the day as crowds swelled to 100,000 by early afternoon, according to a monitoring centre outside the palace.
“I had to be here for the first opportunity to pay my respects in person,” said Panathip Wukachit, 57, a street vendor from the slum district of Klong Toey who arrived before dawn to join the lines.
Crowds have gathered outside the palace, packing the neighbouring park grounds of Sanam Luang, since the king’s death, but had not previously been allowed into the throne hall.
A spokesman for Thailand’s military government has urged people “not to rush to come in the early days” as the hall would be open for “a long time”. Official mourning for the king will last a year.
Inside the hall, mourners first sat down with their knees folded to one side and then leant forward in prayer in front of an elaborately gilded royal urn in which in previous era the monarch’s remains would have been interred.
But King Bhumibol had given instructions that he wished to break with that tradition and chose instead to lie in state inside a coffin that is concealed behind the urn.
Evidence of mourning is everywhere across a city that has turned monochrome. Many Thais are wearing only black or white clothing, office and apartment facades are adorned in cloth of the same colour, while portraits with shrines dot the streets.
Television stations play several hours of footage each day devoted to the monarch and most Thai websites have dropped all colour from their pages.
The mourning has been led by Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the only son and designated heir. In a move that surprised many observers, he has asked not yet to ascend to the throne, saying he need time to grieve with the nation.
He does not command the same devotion as his father and has spent much of his adult life outside the country. He has homes in Bavaria where his son, Prince Dipangkorn, is enrolled at a private school.
The military government has insisted that the succession will proceed as planned, but no schedule has been given for the crown prince to become monarch.
Strict lese majeste laws prohibit criticism of the monarchy and severely curtail discussion about the royalty inside the country. The government has brought a series of lese majeste cases, which carry a jail term of up to 15 years, since the king’s death.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
