2016 death and year-long funeral of Thailand's king
Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej
The royal urn of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, being transported upon the Golden Palanquin with Three Poles (Phra Yannamas Sam Lam Khan), in the first procession of the king's royal cremation ceremony on 26 October 2017
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand died at the age of 88 on 13 October 2016 (B.E. 2559), after a long illness. A year-long period of mourning was subsequently announced. A royal cremation ceremony took place over five days at the end of October 2017. The actual cremation, which was not broadcast on television, was held in the late evening of 26 October 2017.[1] Following cremation his remains and ashes were taken to the Grand Palace and were enshrined at the Chakri Maha Phasat Throne Hall (royal remains), the Royal Cemetery at Wat Ratchabophit and the Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Royal Temple (royal ashes). Following burial, the mourning period officially ended on midnight of 30 October 2017 and Thais resumed wearing colors other than black in public.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej had been treated at Siriraj Hospital since 3 October 2014.[2] He developed a high fever due to sepsis in February 2016, which improved following antibiotics treatment.[3]
On 1 October 2016, the palace released a bulletin stating that after recovering from a fever, King Bhumibol underwent tests that revealed a blood infection and an X-ray found inflammation on his left lung, along with water in his lungs.[4] He had been in kidney failure for some time and received dialysis.[5][6] By 9 October, he had been placed on a ventilator and doctors pronounced him "not yet stable", recommending him to suspend his official duties.[7][8] Crowds of well-wishers, many dressed in pink symbolizing good health and luck, gathered outside Siriraj Hospital and the Grand Palace to offer prayers and support.[9]
By 12 October, King Bhumibol's condition became significantly unstable due to evolving acute hepatitis.[10] The royal children had arrived at Siriraj Hospital and Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn had met with the prime minister.[11][12] There were some internal concerns about the succession of the crown prince, in that he was not perceived to be as well-respected as his father and it was speculated that some palace elites, responding to the people's admiration for Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, might try to position her to take the throne.[13][14]
The king died at Siriraj Hospital on 13 October 2016 at 15:52 local time. The Bureau of the Royal Household officially announced his death at 18:45, less than three hours later, although Scottish journalist and author Andrew MacGregor Marshall reported the death several hours before the official announcement by the royal palace.[15][16][17]
Funeral period
On 14 October 2016, the body of the late king was carried by an autocade from Siriraj Hospital to the Grand Palace. His body left Gate 8 of the hospital around 16:30. As the cortege passed Arun Ammarin Road, Phra Pin Klao Bridge, and Ratchadamnoen Road, crowds of Thais, most clad in black and many openly sobbing, paid homage. Led by Somdej Phra Vanarata (Chun Brahmagutto), the abbot of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, the autocade entered the palace via Thewaphirom Gate. Upon arrival at the palace, the body was given the bathing rite, presided over by the late king's son, King Vajiralongkorn. The event was broadcast live by the Television Pool of Thailand.[18]
The general public were allowed to take part in a symbolic bathing rite in front of the king's portrait at Sahathai Samakhom Pavilion within the Grand Palace later that day.[19]
Lying in state
The king's body lay in state at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace for a period of one year, with daily rites for a period of 100 days. As in the funerals of the king's mother and sister, the king's body was not physically placed in the royal funerary urn (kot) as was customary; instead, the coffin which housed the body was placed behind the pedestal displaying the royal urn.[20] Special rites attended by King Vajiralongkorn were held to mark the 7th, 15th, 50th and 100th days since the king's death. After the fifteenth day, the public were allowed to pay their respects and attend the lying-in-state in the Grand Palace. By the end of the allowed public attendance on 30 September 2017 (later pushed forward to 5 October the same year), over 12 million people had paid their respects in person, a historic record crowd that, including foreign tourists and expats living in Thailand, broke all-time attendance records[21] and left an estimated 890 million Thai baht in donations for the royal charity activities.[22]
Special nationwide services in all Buddhist temples together with a general 100th day memorial service were held to mark the 100 day mark since his death on 20 January 2017 with King Vajiralongkorn presiding over the national service.[23]
On 28 February 2017, a special Royal Kong Tek Chinese Buddhist ceremony was held, presided by King Vajiralongkorn at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall and was led by monks from the Thai Teochew Chinese Buddhist community in the Bangkok area. The service was in keeping with Chinese Buddhist rites and customs regarding the dead. The Kong Tek ceremony was a Buddhist religious ceremony unique to the Chinese wherein the deceased, together with his personal effects and clothing, was transferred ceremonially to the next life, with special prayers and chants sung by monks. The event was unprecedented since it was the first time such a ritual was held for any member of the Thai royal family in an official capacity.[24]
Cremation
The Royal Crematorium (Phra Merumas (Golden Crematorium))The Royal Crematorium (Phra Merumas (Golden Crematorium)) during construction, as seen on 27 April 2017.
Renovation of chariots and palanquins in April 2017 at the Bangkok National Museum for the funeral processions in October 2017.
Sanam Luang was used as the cremation ground, where the construction of an elaborate, temporary crematorium was started in early 2017 and took only 8 months to complete.[26] The government granted one billion baht, deducted from central budget, to cover the construction.[27] Once the cremation is over, the crematorium opens for public visits for a month before being torn down in January 2018.[28]
Designs for the cremation complex were officially unveiled on 28 October 2016, and a special ceremony was held on 19 December for the royal funeral chariots to be used at the Bangkok National Museum.[29][30][31] The construction work for the complex officially commenced on 27 February 2017 with the building of the central column with a September target completion date.[32][33] The crematorium was the biggest, largest and tallest yet since the state cremation rites for King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) in 1911.[34]
On 19 November, the Ministry of Culture's Fine Arts Department head Anant Chuchote visited Nakhon Pathom, where the royal funeral urns have been manufactured for centuries out of old sandalwood trees. He asked for public support and assistance for the making of the royal urn alongside 150 artisans from the Traditional Arts Office.[35] The department issued a job hiring call in the middle of January 2017 for prospective workers in the Sanam Luang royal crematorium complex and for the needed chariot repair and upgrading works.[36]
As of 12 February 2017, the government pavilion and the Buddhist chapel were under construction. Concurrently, the Royal Thai Army began manufacturing a new royal cannon chariot for the state cremation ceremonies, a first after many years, timed to be completed in April 2017 for delivery to the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture.[37] The designs of the buildings combine both Thai traditional and modern building design and construction methods.[38]
The construction process for the royal crematorium (Phra Merumas (Golden Crematorium))[25] itself commenced with due ceremony on the morning of 27 February 2017 in the Sanam Luang Plaza, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Thailand Gen (ret) Prayut Chan-o-cha. At the right moment, the central steel beam of the building was hoisted using a crane towards its spot in the plaza worksite after a Brahmin blessing was bestowed on it.[39]
By 1 April, the crematorium complex area had seen construction work faster than the usual practice for royal cremations, with all buildings in the middle of the construction phrase earlier than expected. The FAD had also been tasked to undergo a major design remodeling for the main royal urn to be used in the ceremonies and an October date is expected to be chosen for the events.[40][41] The cannon chariot which was based on those used in British state and royal funerals was officially finished by the end of the month and delivered to the FAD so that the decoration process can begin in time for their debut in the funeral events later in the year.[42]
The national cremation in the Sanam Luang Plaza took place on 26 October 2017, 13 days after the 1st anniversary of the King's death. Just as in past state cremations since 1995, a special Khon performance was held in the plaza grounds, organized by The Foundation of the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand (SUPPORT) and the Bunditphatthanasilpa Institute.[43] Given the huge importance of such an event, the official practice runs for this began as early as 15–16 May with the RTA Ordnance Division spearheading the runs simulating the funeral procession of the major chariots at Saraburi province, with two military vehicles to serve as simulators.[44] For the royal puppet show, it was the first ever to feature a woman performer in keeping with the modern age - Ancharika Noosingha, 43 years old, who was the first female royal puppeteer in history, keeping a historic tradition from the Ayutthaya period.[45] The Fine Arts Department Royal Music and Drama Office organized the puppet play and its personnel form part of the cast who will perform on the cremation night.
The Nation reported on 11 May that the funeral crematorium and the monastic pavilion are almost ready for an early completion, the fastest yet for royal funerals in the modern era, and the prefabrication processes for the decorations to be used in the buildings are at the final stage.[46] At the same time, the sandalwood corn flowers used for state funerals were made to be used by citizens and foreign attendants attending the services, as the kalamet flowers, protected by law, will only be used in the royal crematorium.[47] The practice of making flowers from corn leaves, though, was a modern practice which began in 1925 during the state funeral of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI).
As of 24 September more than 5,500 people signed up to volunteer to serve during the cremation days.[48] To encourage greater public participation, several Thai provincial capitals had been building replica crematoriums to serve people who cannot be in Bangkok to pay their last respects on the cremation date[49] while both the public and tourists joining the events rode the Bangkok MRT system and the BTS Skytrain lines during the cremation days free of charge, as well as on the public ferries at Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem (Hua Lamphong-Thewarat Market) and Khlong Pasicharoen (Phetchkasem 69-Pratunam Pasicharoen) and the Bangkok BRT.[50] The Ministry of Public Health was expected to deploy huge numbers of medical personnel to serve the public and foreign visitors during these days and provide medical assistance.[51] While social media live reports are prohibited for the TV networks (which broadcast the bilingual coverage of the events via the state Television Pool of Thailand and was aired via satellite and streamed worldwide online in both English and Thai via the official funeral webpage, the RTA Thai Global Network, NBT World and the YouTube channel of Thai PBS, the first time this has ever been done), people will still post live feeds but with difficulty and the national and international press have been given a special media center at the Thammasat University.[52]
In early August, plans were finalized to open the cremation site for public and tourist visitation after the cremation ceremonies.[53]
Timeline of the royal cremation
15 May to 29 September - Practice runs for the chariot carriers, drivers and rope holders in Saraburi and later in Bangkok
23 May - 1st Service of Holy Merit at the Royal Plaza, Bangkok
9 June - 2nd Service of Holy Merit at the Royal Plaza, Bangkok
22 August - 3rd Service of Holy Merit at the Royal Plaza, Bangkok
21 September - National rededication ceremonies for the royal funeral carriages at the Bangkok National Museum[54]
5 October- Final day for public visitation to the Royal Urn and coffin at the Dusit Maha Phasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace, Bangkok[55]
7 October - 1st General practice run of the funeral procession in Bangkok (from the Grand Palace to the Sanam Luang Royal Plaza)
13 October - National remembrance services in honor of the 1st anniversary of the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX).
15 October - 2nd General practice run of the funeral procession in Bangkok
18 October - The ceremonial installation of the Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella over the royal crematorium by King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X)[56]
21 October - 3rd general practice run of the funeral procession in Bangkok
22 October - 4th and final practice run of the funeral procession in Bangkok and final practice run for the cremation services
25 October
15:01 (UTC+07:00): Final afternoon and night vigil services before the Royal Urn and Coffin at the Dusit Maha Phasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace, Bangkok[57]
26 October - National cremation services
07:00: Morning services of merit and farewell ceremony of the Royal Urn and Coffin
09:00 - 14:00: Funeral procession from the Dusit Maha Phasat Throne Hall to the Royal Crematorium at the Sanam Luang Royal Plaza
22:00: Royal cremation proper and outdoor Khon and Nang yai performances, puppet show, musical concert and ballet performance starting at 1800h[59][60][61]
Note: The cremation itself was not broadcast on the Television Pool, nor even was it live streamed as well online, only a press statement released, although the cremation was recorded by mourners and subsequently uploaded on YouTube and Facebook hours after.[62]
27 October: Day of the removal of the royal ashes and relics
07:00: Removal of the royal ashes and relics from the crematorium followed by a breakfast service
08:30: Royal procession of the transfer of the royal ashes and relics to the Dusit Maha Phasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha
28 October
17:30: Final service of merit before the royal relics and ashes and dinner
29 October - Official final day of the mourning period
09:00: Morning service of merit followed by breakfast
11:00: Departure honors of the royal relics and remains and procession
11:35: Ceremony of interment of the royal relics to the Heavenly Abode Room, Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace
18:00: Outdoor Khon and Nang yai performances, puppet show, musical concert and ballet performance
Spilt coverage across all channels and online:[63]
Outdoor Khon and Nang yai performances: Channel 9 MCOT HD, RTA Channel 5 and Thai Global Network, TNN24, Spring News, Voice TV, Nation TV, Amarin TV and PPTV
Puppet show and Lakhon nai: Channel 3, Thai PBS and Thai PBS YouTube, Thairath TV, New TV, Workpoint, Now26, True4u and Thai Parliament Television
Musical concert and ballet: NBT and NBT World, Channel 7, Channel 8, Mono TV, One Channel, GMM25 and Bright TV
22:01: Royal cremation proper (As stated earlier, not broadcast by the Television Pool nor live streamed)
Friday, 27 October
07:00: Removal of the royal ashes and relics from the crematorium followed by a breakfast service
08:30: Royal procession of the transfer of the royal ashes and relics to the Dusit Maha Phasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha
Saturday, 28 October
17:00: Final service of merit before the royal relics and ashes and dinner
Sunday, 29 October - Official final day of the mourning period
09:00: Morning service of merit followed by breakfast
11:00: Departure honors of the royal relics and remains and procession
11:35: Ceremony of interment of the royal relics to the Heavenly Abode Room, Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace
Gen (Rtd) Prayut Chan-o-cha, RTA, the Prime Minister of Thailand and representatives of the national royal funeral committee and Gen Thanchaiyan Srisuwan, RTA, the Chief of Defence Forces
Standard bearer of the Royal Flag of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
The Triple-Poled Royal Funeral Palanquin Carriage (Phra Yannamat Sam Lam Khan) carrying the symbolic Royal Urn, handled by 60 servicemen of the RTA and escorted by 48 Royal Guards and 16 pole bearers carrying gold and silver flower offerings, 8 on each side of the palanquin
Delegation of the Royal Family of Thailand escorted by personnel of the 1st Infantry Regiment, King's Own Bodyguard
Royal Standard Bearers (The War Flags of Garuda and Hanuman)
Prakhom band from the Bureau of the Royal Household and 4 Court Brahmins from Devasathan Temple
Royal horses and their handlers
The Supreme Patriarch's Minor Royal Carriage (Ratcharoth Noi) carrying the designated representative of Ariyavongsagatanana IX, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, carried by 74 RTA servicemen and escorted by 16 fan holders, 8 on each side
Royal regalia and flower bearers
Gen (Rtd) Prayut Chan-o-cha, RTA, the Prime Minister of Thailand and representatives of the national royal funeral committee, and Gen Thanchaiyan Srisuwan, RTA, the Chief of Defence Forces
Standard bearer of the Royal Flag of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
The Grand Royal Funeral Carriage/Royal Great Victory Carriage (Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharoth) carrying the symbolic Royal Urn, pulled by 216 servicemen of the RTA and escorted by 48 Royal Guards and 16 pole bearers carrying gold and silver flower offerings, 8 on each side of the wheeled chariot
Delegation of the Royal Family of Thailand escorted by personnel of the 1st Infantry Regiment, King's Own Bodyguard
Royal Standard Bearers
King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X)
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal
Princess Bajrakitiyabha
Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana
Royal pages and assistants to the Royal Family
Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Family and Household of Thailand
Other officials of the BRH
2nd Massed military bands of the 1st Division, King's Guard, First Army, RTA
Representatives of schools and business establishments with royal patronage and of the late King's royal projects
2nd Guards Regiment
2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, King's Own Bodyguard
Gen (Rtd) Prayut Chan-o-cha, RTA, the Prime Minister of Thailand and representatives of the national royal funeral committee and Gen Thanchaiyan Srisuwan, RTA, the Chief of Defence Forces
Parade commander and staff
The Royal Funeral Palanquin (Phra Saliang Kleebbua) carrying the designated representative of Ariyavongsagatanana IX, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, carried by 16 servicemen of the Royal Thai Army
Royal regalia and flower bearers
Standard bearer of the Royal Flag of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
The Royal Funeral Gun Carriage (Rajarot Puen Yai) carrying the symbolic Royal Urn, handled by 60 servicemen of the RTA and escorted by 48 Royal Guards and 16 pole bearers carrying gold and silver flower offerings, 8 on each side of the gun carriage
Delegation of the Royal Family of Thailand escorted by personnel of the 1st Infantry Regiment, King's Own Bodyguard
Royal Standard Bearers (The War Flags of Garuda and Hanuman)
Thai people wait to pay homage to the King's body which lay in state at Phra Thinang Dusit Maha Prasat.Thai national flag flown at half mast at Assumption College Bangkok during the mourning of King Bhumibol
The government declared a year-long mourning period for Bhumibol. Citizens were asked to refrain from participating in "joyful events" and entertainment for thirty days following his death; as a result, a number of events, including sports (such as the Thai League football season, which ended entirely),[82] were cancelled or postponed. Entertainment outlets such as cinemas, nightclubs and theatres announced that they would shut down or operate under reduced hours during this period.[83][84][85] The mourning period prompted concerns from Thailand's tourism industry, which felt that the mood of the country, as well as the cancelled events, would reduce interest in visiting Thailand.[84]
Out of respect for the mourning period, many Thai malls, including all Central Pattana and The Mall Group properties, chose not to install extensive Christmas displays and decorations for the holiday season. Some installed memorials to Bhumibol instead.[86]
Actions were taken against those who failed to wear black during the mourning period. In November 2016, Nangrong School in Buriram province seized colourful winter jackets from students and required them to wear those in mourning colours only. The students were reportedly distressed to lose their jackets due to the cold weather, and many did not own multiple warm articles of clothing.[87] A director of a public school in Ranong province was also fired for not wearing mourning black on her first day at work.[88]
Following the king's death, many Thais publicly displayed grief and paid tribute to him and his 70-year reign.[89] Other world leaders and monarchs also expressed their condolences.[90] Television broadcasters replaced their programming with monochrome tributes to Bhumibol as a mark of respect.[91]
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