Life inches back to normal after fourth Royal Procession ends

While many people told The Nation that they had completed their duty as loyal subjects to the late King and were returning home after the fourth Royal Procession, others said they would remain in the capital and attend ceremonies at the last Royal Procession tomorrow.

Under yesterday’s hot morning sun, many people who had remained at Sanam Luang after the Royal Cremation on Thursday night gathered in front of the Royal Crematorium. A lucky few managed to get a front-row view as His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn led a religious ceremony focusing on the Royal Reliquary Urn.
The area around the Royal Cremation site was less crowded than the previous day, as most spectators had already returned home after the cremation of the late King. Thousands of people in the ceremonial grounds were still there, however, watching and praying while the monks chanted a requiem for the late King Bhumibol.
The many Buddhist mourners joined monks in prayers, lowering their umbrellas and taking off their hats despite the punishing sun. They prayed silently as the monks chanted.

Shortly after the end of the religious ceremony for the late King, the Royal Reliquary Urn was transported out of the Royal Crematorium and on to the fourth Royal Procession. The crowd’s crying intensified as the Royal Reliquary Urn passed before them.
Boonlue Ngunthong, a 69-year-old retired civil servant from Phitsanulok, cried openly as the Royal Procession passed. Tears of sorrow just gushed when he saw the Royal Reliquary Urn of his beloved King, he said later. 
“I thought I had had enough with crying after last night, when the remains of the late King were cremated but I was wrong. I love my King and it is painful for me to accept that he really passed away.”
Boonlue had attended the Royal Cremation since its first day on Wednesday, but had actually arrived a day earlier to join the long queue to enter the ceremonial grounds.
Despite spending the past four days without a roof over his head, eating and sleeping entirely on the street, Boonlue said his suffering could not compare to the hardship that King Bhumibol had endured for seven decades on the throne for the better wellbeing of his subjects.
“I only do my part as a loyal citizen, and from now on it will be the duty for all of us to carry on His Majesty’s great works,” Boonlue said.
An 84-year-old grandmother from Nonthaburi, Anong Thiankhuntod, said that she was very proud to have been present for every stage of the Royal Cremation to send her beloved King to heaven.
“I pray every night before I sleep for the late King. Even before his departure, I prayed he would have a long and healthy life, but after his departure I still always pray for him. This is my last day of praying, as I am sure that he will be happy in heaven,” Anong said.
After the end of yesterday’s ceremony, most people picked up their belongings and returned home, and traffic volumes around the ceremonial grounds returned to normal levels.
One thing remained constant, however. Everyone who spoke to The Nation said the King would remain in their hearts forever.