All roads lead to Grand Palace

The black-clad mourners filled out the Sanam Luang, the 30-acre open field in front of the palace, in lines of black sea as they queue up, literally rain or shine, since very early hours yesterday to get inside the Hall and pay their final respects to the much-beloved His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The Royal Household Bureau earlier announced 10,000 people daily would be allowed to enter the Throne Hall, from 8 am onwards, to pay respect in front of the King’s Royal Urn, but the plan was changed as mourners from all corners of the Kingdom unceasingly poured in Sanam Luang for the King.

First mourners were allowed inside the Hall since 5 am. They were among those camping at Sanam Luang since the night before.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Pol Lt Gen Amnuay Nimmano assured all people were welcome. He said the Royal House Bureau gave everybody an equal chance to pay respects to the King. No strict dress code had been announced by the Bureau, he said.

“Some farmers who just grow rice all their lives have no shoes. It’s fine. They can go inside shoeless,” he said. “For those women coming from other provinces and didn’t have any proper skirts, it’s fine, too. We will lend a sarong.”

Despite hot weather and muddy ground, hundreds of thousands of mourners waited very patiently in the line managed by authorities. The influx made distribution of queue cards planned earlier impossible. Authorities said no number of limitation had been set and mourners were welcome until otherwise announcement was made..

Officials were deployed to keep order and provide service for the people throughout the multi-curl line. Bottles of water as well as handheld fans were constantly distributed.

Hundreds of volunteers also worked tirelessly, offering ammonia and balms for weakened queuers and collecting garbage around the tightly crammed field.

The joint Peace and Order Administration Centre’s deputy commander Maj Gen Pongsawat Panchit said that 70 people were allowed to enter the Hall at a time to pay respects to the late King.

Those with special needs such as the elderly and sick people, however, were separated from other queuers and reserved the right to enter the Hall via a fast-track entry route. 

The first mourners that got to get inside the Hall were those camped at Sanam Luang since Friday night.  

The authorities led by the 1st Army Area were planning for the construction of the royal crematory in Sanam Luang, Amnuay said. It would take up two thirds of the total space leaving only a third for the people who came to pay homage to the King, he said. The authorities were coming up with a new management plan, the deputy governor added.

He said that initially the authorities were planning to reorder the food camps. They would be put together in one area to free up more space, he explained. And timetable would be set for the specific distribution time, unlike now that they could hand out the food and drinks 24/7, he added. 

Amnuay said authorities would try to make everything work, adding that this was one of the biggest event for the Thai people.