Pita receives blessings, souvenirs as he joins Karen ritual in Bangkok temple

Pita had gone to Wat Phray Suren to participate in an annual Karen ritual with some Move Forward MPs.

The ritual involves people getting blessings from their elders and spiritual leaders, who tie sacred threads on their wrists and bless them for a healthy and wealthy future.

When Pita arrived in the temple’s open hall, where a stage had been set up for the ritual, the hundreds, if not thousands, of attendees burst into cheers and applause.

The crowd surged forward as people wanted to hand flowers to Pita, but organisers asked them to queue up for their turn.

Pita had arrived dressed in a traditional Karen costume and joined the crowds in singing the royal anthem and a traditional hilltribe song. A community leader also handed a sleeveless traditional shirt to Pita on stage.

In a speech later, the Move Forward leader said he felt overwhelmed by the support shown to him, and that he would continue pushing for laws that would give the ethnic minority equal rights. He said the shirt presented to him had no collar, stitches or pocket, representing the simple life of the ethnic people. He said he would follow their example and lead a simple life and always stand by the Karen.