The funeral proceedings to bid farewell to HRH Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda have begun with thousands taking part. The princess was the only child of former king, Rama VI, and a cousin of Thailand’s present monarch, HM Bhumibol Adulayadej (Rama IX). The princess died last July at the age of 85. When such prominent people pass away in Thailand it isn’t unusual for the cremation to take place a long time after the actual death. This allows time for appropriate arrangements to be made, an auspicious date and time to be chosen and for the various merit-making ceremonies which, in Buddhist belief, help the deceased in their next life. Since her death, the princess has been lying in state at the Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall which is located within the Grand Palace compound in Bangkok. The last major royal funeral ceremony in Thailand was for the king’s sister, HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, which took place in November 2008.

The day will begin at 7am when the royal urn is carried from Dusit Maha Prasart Hall atop the royal golden palanquin to an area in front of Wat Phra Chetupon, or Wat Pho.

There, the urn will be transferred to the Phra Maha Pichai Ratcharot, or royal chariot, for the one-and-a-half-hour procession to Sanam Luang.

The chariot was built from gilded teak wood during the reign of King Rama I, and was used for the funeral of Her Royal Highness The Princess Mother and Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana. It weighs around 13 tonnes and requires 216 men to pull.

The chariot will set off along Sanam Chai Road towards Ratchadamnoen Avenue.

When it arrives at Sanam Luang, the urn will be returned to the palanquin for the third and final procession.

The palanquin will circumnavigate the phra meru, or royal funeral pyre, three times, with each lap covering 260 metres, before the urn is placed on the pyre.

Members of the public wishing to pay their respects may leave paper and sandalwood flowers for the cremation at 4pm at five points around Sanam Luang and at 46 temples in Bangkok.

The ceremonial cremation will go ahead at 4:30pm, followed by the more private official cremation at 10pm and a programme of cultural events for the public through the night.

The funeral is the culmination of about eight months of work by the Fine Arts Department and Religious Affairs Department, which allocated a budget of 218.1 million baht for the preparations and ceremony.

Princess Bejaratana was the only child of King Vajiravudh, Rama VI, and Phra Nang Chao (Queen) Suvadhana.

Her royal father, seriously ill at the time, passed away just one day after the princess was born, and it was her grandmother, Queen Savang Vadhana, who took the baby princess under her wing.

The princess spent much of her formative years in the United Kingdom after the 1932 revolution which toppled the absolute monarchy and led to the abdication of her uncle, King Prajadhipok. By the time she returned to Thailand in 1959, her cousin, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was on the throne.

She spent the rest of her life at Ruenrudi Villa, working on behalf of various charitable organisations and projects that were established and initiated by her royal father as well as her grandmother, Queen Savang Vadhana, with her mother constantly by her side.

HM the King Bhumibol Adulyadej celebrated his 84th birthday today along with members of the royal family and a public audience in the Chakri hall at the Grand Palace today.

During his address to the nation, HM the King said that a sustainable water management system must be developed and that all sides must work together to assist those who have been affected by floods.

He also said that the military and government should aim to work towards national stability, which will come when people in the country are living well and harmoniously.

HM the King pointed out that it was the duty of all sides to work together to their full potential to alleviate factors that create hardship to people.

The King pointed out that people were suffering as a result of the floods and cooperation was needed to sort the problem by setting up a sustainable water management system.

“The [water] projects that I’ve had discussed are only suggestions, not orders. But if the projects are beneficial and cost-effective, then implement them if possible,” the King said.

He added that it was vital that conflict be excluded from the process, replaced by moral support. This would allow for the nation to achieve happiness and add to the stability of the nation.

HM the King also hoped that the continue on a prosperous path, while observing formalities that consisted of renewal of the oath of allegiance by members of the Royal Guard, along with addresses by other dignitaries, including the Prime Minister.

Following the event, the world’s longest serving monarch proceeded to return to Siriraj Hospital, where crowds lined the streets chanted “Long Live the King” as the royal motorcade passed.

HM the King has been rarely seen in public following his admission to hospital in September 2009.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch who is regarded as a demi-god by many Thais, was pushed in a wheelchair through the hospital grounds, wearing the customary full white royal uniform.
Thailand’s revered king left a Bangkok hospital on Saturday, according to an AFP reporter at the scene, to attend a ceremony at the royal palace to mark his 82nd birthday. The king, followed by his family, raised his hand to wave at a crowd of thousands of people who had gathered, wearing pink for good luck, to greet the revered monarch. They shouted: “Long live the king.”

The birthday of King Bhumibol, who is considered a unifying force in a politically turbulent nation, is marked by a public holiday and celebrated by Thais across the kingdom with fireworks and Buddhist rituals.

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej speaks during a ceremony at the Grand Palace in Bangkok December 5, 2009. Thailand’s aging monarch, King Bhumibol, appeared in public for the first time in more than a month on Saturday ahead of a royal ceremony to mark his 82nd birthday.

His son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is due to represent his father at Buddhist ceremonies on Saturday evening and Sunday, and will preside over a garden party for diplomats on December 8.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been on the throne since 1946, quite a few more years than Britain’s Queen.

He is popular and respected. But there are concerns about what happens once he has gone. And with an Eton and Oxford-educated party leader who is battling against an older rival for political control of the country, it is a rather familiar scenario to readers in the UK.

It is not only King Bhumibol’s longevity and continuity that keeps Thais in awe but a widespread belief that this is the father of the country.

To the Western eye, Thailand is permeated with tangible and intangible levels of hierarchy based on age, status and wealth. Yet there is one very obvious and undisputed leader who has achieved almost quasi-deity status.

He is a constitutional king with no formal political role, but many regard the influental man as the only person who can unify the country, which has been divided by various political and other interest groups.

During his reign over the past six decades, he has introduced the self suffiency economy concept and initiated more than 3,000 royal projects to improve the livelihood of the mostly rural population.

He has also turned his residence at the Chitralada Palace into a R&D centre for agriculture, believed to be the only palace in the world that is surrounded by paddy fields, dairy farms, fruit and vegetable orchards as well as aquaculture ponds.

Bangkok is the best place in the country to enjoy the celebrations. Do remember that streets around Sanam Luang and Ratchadamnoen are prohibited to traffic. One can reach the area, and just stroll on the streets, traffic-free but brimming with people, watching the glittering sky.
Millions of Thais wore pink today to symbolise their wish for his good health while hundreds of thousands thronged the roads to try to take a glimpse of the King when his motorcade travelled from the hospital to the Grand Palace.

Meanwhile, thousands of well wishers turn up at Siriraj Hospital each day to pray for the king’s health. Doctors have insisted that the king has improved and he is not in anything approaching a serious condition. But his long stay at the hospital and continued absence from public view has fueled unease, speculation and rumors. Recently, the government arrested four people for allegedly spreading rumors about the king’s health on the internet, which, it claims, caused a stock market sell-off in October. Reporters Without Borders, an international media watchdog group, has said those arrested are scapegoats and the charges are baseless.

Thais throughout the country start celebrating HM the King’s 82th anniversary

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