Death of a King

October 16, 2016

It has been three days since the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  All TV stations were preempted to air non-stop videos about the king.  Unfortunately none had English subtitles; I would have appreciated hearing the stories, and my Thai is nowhere near strong enough yet.   At Tim's work, they had warned that some Thais might not show up to work.  I had a Thai lesson scheduled for the next day, and sent a message to my kruu asking if he preferred to cancel, but he said he would still come.

The day after his passing, the king's body was to be moved from the hospital to the Grand Palace, scheduled for 3 p.m.  People started lining up along the route in Bangkok overnight.  They sat baking in the ninety-plus degree heat in their black clothing to catch a glimpse of the motorcade.  The contrast to any similar event in the US was striking to me.  Everyone sat somberly on the ground, not standing or sitting on folding chairs.  People spoke very little, and held up yellow flags or pictures of their king.  Those who didn't have pictures held up baht bills, as all paper currency bears the king's image.  Several people prayed with eyes closed.  Cell phones were even forgotten for most of the crowd.  Military and police quietly stood shoulder to shoulder along the side of the road.  Medical personnel lined the exit ramp from the hospital.

Finally, some time after 4:30 p.m., a motorcade zoomed into the underground entrance of the hospital, and soon reemerged.  The transport vehicles were surprisingly plain - a VW minivan and a yellow Mercedes van bearing the king's flag, followed by several red sedans I assume were carrying officials or family members.  As the motorcade approached, the standing navy personnel, in dress whites, took a knee and saluted as it passed.  Many people were in tears, and I didn't see a single person pull out their cell phone for a picture.  I think the reality was still sinking in for many devoted Thais.  The motorcade made the short trip and disappeared into the Grand Palace grounds.

(all images from TV)

The day was declared a national holiday to allow as many as possible to participate in the mourning activities.  Earlier in the day, people lined up to take part in the symbolic Royal Bathing Ceremony by  approaching the portrait of the king on their knees and pouring small gold cups of water into large basins.  It is a Buddhist tradition for family and friends to repeatedly pour scented water over the hands of the deceased to purify and bring blessings.  The official Royal Bathing Ceremony was performed by the crown prince in the evening in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, with the chanting of the monks in attendance.  The chanting will continue for at least 100 days.

The funeral may delayed for a year or more to prepare for appropriately elaborate ceremony.  The body may be present for paying respects during that time.  No official announcements or plans have been revealed as yet.  Thirty official days of mourning have been declared.  All entertainments and celebrations are supposed to be cancelled - no parties, no theater, no entertainment of any kind.  The beautiful Loy Krathong festival may be cancelled or toned down this year.  Many bars are closing and some places will not sell alcohol.  People are asked to wear black, although when I went out yesterday, I saw that many were not complying.  I imagine black clothing will be difficult to find in stores at this point.

Our thoughts remain with the people of Thailand.