Tribe holds remembrance ceremony for late King
About 200 people of the Lisu hill tribe from Chiang Rai’s Mae Suay and Wiang Pa Pao districts yesterday performed a ritual honouring the late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The ceremony, in which a tribal shaman lit candles and led others to pray in front of the King’s portrait, was carried out at the field of Ban Mae Phak La in Tambon Tha Kor of Mae Suay.
Some residents broke into tears mourning the revered monarch’s passing.
Mae Poon Lang village headman Pipop Thaiwichitkorn, who once welcomed His Majesty during a royal visit, said Lisu people had lived difficult lives because they did not have identity cards and had to move from one place to another to avoid arrest.
He said His Majesty had brought teachers to show them how to grow crops and provided them with identity cards so they would not have to live on the run. He also gave them a place to stay and vocational opportunities so they could support their families, allowing the Lisu population to grow.
Lisu people vowed to be good, apply His Majesty’s philosophy of self-sufficiency economy and pass it on to younger generations, he added.