Regency in place as Thais flock to palace to honor dead king

Dressed in somber black and white, people from all over the country converged at the complex in Bangkok’s historic center, hoping to get a glimpse of their beloved monarch, who died Thursday after prolonged illnesses that had incapacitated many of his organs.

The government has said Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn wants to grieve with the people and leave the formal succession until later, when parliament will invite him to ascend the throne. When news of his death was announced on Thursday evening, many in the large crowds outside the hospital where he died broke down.

However, has stressed that Prince Vajiralongkorn will still take the throne.

The 88-year-old king had spent much of the last decade hospitalised for a variety of ailments, and the momentous news, announced in a palace statement yesterday, had always been both anticipated and feared. Thailand’s SET index was ailing this week on reports of the king’s worsening condition, got a boost on Friday, up over 4.5 percent.

Residents have been asked to wear black and avoid engaging in “festivities” for 30 days, according to Reuters.

The king had been ill for a long time.

The government declared a public holiday and people across the shaken nation donned black, their eyes swollen and red with hours of weeping. Commuters stood silently on a SkyTrain that runs through the city, with normally blaring TV advertisements turned off. The situation will remain in place until further notice, subject to the government’s announcement, she said.

After the convoy arrived at the temple, the crown prince bathed the king’s body, a traditional Thai Buddhist funeral rite.

Bhumibol Adulyadej (pronounced poo-mee-pon ah-dun-yaa-det) became king in 1946.

Flags are to fly at half-mast for the next 30 days and official mourning will last a year. Bhumibol was a personal investor in the company. “Personally, I believe, like every crisis Thailand has faced in the last hundreds of years, that it will come out of this stronger than ever before”.

Praise for Bhumibol’s role as a ruler devoted to his subjects has poured in from across the globe including from US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Dr Balakrishnan “expressed his deepest condolences to the people of Thailand and wrote that Singapore stands shoulder to shoulder with our Thai friends in this sad and hard period”, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Members of the Royal Family and to all the people of the Kingdom at this sorrowful time”, the Pope’s letter to the Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha read.