Thousands of Thais honour dead king

Mourners line up to get into the Throne Hall at the Grand Palace for the first time to pay their respects in front of the golden urn of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand, October 29, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Thais in their thousands flocked to Bangkok this Saturday to file past the coffin of the late King Bhumibol.

From 5am Saturday morning, grieving Thais came into Bangkok’s major royal palace where Bhumibol is located on a lit parade.

For some days, the palace has been open selectively for grieving, but on Saturday it was first opened for the people to pay the dead king their last respects.

It is estimated that a maximum of 10,000 people will file past the coffin each day, from which 3,750 are from elsewhere other than Bangkok.

It is not clear how long the coffin will remain in the palace or when cremation will take place. It may stand there at least one year.

The popular king, who was 88, died earlier this month after nearly a lifetime on the throne. The government has proclaimed a period of one-year national grief.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today