The quality of sacrifice

The images were captured by three Leica Thailand ambassadors – Tul Hirunyalawan, Peerapat Wimolrungkarat and Chutchawarn Janthachotibutr – in a tribute to the late monarch on the second anniversary of his death..
“We wanted to do something that reflected how King Bhumibol worked tirelessly for his people and one of the best ways of doing this was to capture the volunteers helping out others without expecting anything in return. This to me was beautiful and unconditional and perfectly reflected what the late Monarch had always demonstrated,” said Tul. 
“I had to leave the country for quite a long time and would only be back after the cremation, so I went to pay my respects one last time before I left. At the venue, I experienced the overwhelming kindness of the volunteers. I was responsible for photographing the volunteers in the kitchen, who provided the food to keep mourners going. I spoke to many of those manning the food booths and discovered that a lot of them had been cooking for the people from the very first day. All of them said it was a tiny gesture compared to what the late King had done for the people of Thailand throughout his life,” added Chutchawarn..
Volunteers Somyod Pornchairattanachot, Watcharee Chaowana and Saroj Dulyakong spoke of their experiences during the historical occasion. Somyod, owner of KhaosanAirport Van Rental, stated: “I was inspired to become a volunteer because I grew up in Phan Fah district and had the opportunity to regularly witness His Majesty coming and going. I wanted to do good things for our father, so I volunteered to show people the way and make their visits more convenient.”
Saroj, a sound engineer, said he started volunteering almost immediately following the announcement of the Monarch’s death. “I thought of how His Majesty had always worked hard for the people of Thailand without any complaint and I wanted to do something good for others. I decided to buy several appliances along with instant coffee, chocolate drinks and noodles to give out as well as offering transportation funded by myself and friends on Facebook. Those who could not be there with us, sent money and supplies. We did this because Thailand is our home.”