CROWN PRINCE Maha Vajiralongkorn has placed importance on the construction of a royal crematorium for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and assigned Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to direct the work, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday.
“There are so many details and HRH the Princess will have the final decision about the model, the size, the height and the colour [of the crematorium],” Wissanu said.
He said the Crown Prince gave the instruction last week when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was granted an audience with him.
He said the entire royal cremation process, including facilitating people paying their respects in front of the royal urn at the Grand Palace, would be discussed at the Cabinet meeting today.
The government has set an official mourning period of one year since the death of the His Majesty the King on Thursday. There will be many royal ceremonial events from now until the final farewell.
Wissanu, who is a legal expert on Royal protocol, said he had informally consulted Lord Chamberlain Chirayu Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya about construction work at Sanam Luang, the traditional crematorium ground for kings and key members of the Royal Family.
He said while the Lord Chamberlain made it clear the royal crematorium was a key project, there should be other buildings constructed at Sanam Luang for Royal guests, foreign guests and other people to attend the ceremony.
“The crematorium for His Majesty the King will be bigger than others in the past,” he said. “The Fine Arts Department has experience in this kind [of event].”
On the security front, Pol General Dejnarong Sutthichanbancha, acting Deputy National Police Commander, held a meeting via video conferencing with relevant police units in the capital and nationwide to map out plans for the security presence for the viewing of the royal urn at the Grand Palace.
They also discussed how to facilitate as many as 60,000 people expected to travel to Bangkok for the viewing.
The Royal Thai Police will deploy between 5,000 to 6,000 officers per day for the event. If the police force in the capital is not enough for security and facilitating the viewing process, the national police office would mobilise more forces from other provinces.
Since the death of His Majesty the King, officials from the government and state agencies have been grieving like the rest of the nation but the public has been assured those entities will continue to function as usual. `
Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said earlier that the government’s work, including the “road map” for the general election next year, would continue as scheduled.
But since the King’s death, public figures responsible for reform work in accordance with the road map have declined to comment on how they will promote reform during the transition period.