MANY ELDERLY and disabled people are having to queue up for hours at the gates of the Grand Palace just so they can pay tribute to the late King.
Not only do they suffer from health issues, but they also have to deal with traffic challenges due to the lack of proper facilities.
“As my legs are in a bad condition and I cannot queue for a long time, I decided not to sign the condolence book in the Grand Palace. Instead, I decided to lie prostrate in front of the palace’s wall at night,” Sripan Hemwuttitanon, 85, said.
Sripan, who travelled alone from her hometown in Nonthaburi, said she did not want to use the wheelchair service provided by the authorities, as she did not want to bother anyone and could walk on her own.
“The wheelchairs should be provided for the disabled or people in need. I can walk, even if it is for short distances,” she said.
Over the last two weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have been gathering in front of the Grand Palace to pay their respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away on October 13 at the age of 89.
More than a 100 people, including the elderly and disabled, use the wheelchair service, a source from the newly set-up safety command centre said. The centre has been created to oversee the management of the mass gathering at Sanam Luang – an open field adjacent to the Grand Palace.
The 250 wheelchairs are enough to service the people in need who come to Sanam Luang and, so far, there has been no need to beef up the facilities for the elderly and the disabled, the source said.
“The number of people needing a wheelchair is not that much. We can manage it for now. If the issue swells, we will come up with a solution,” the source added.
“I have chosen not to queue up to enter the Grand Palace. With my crippled legs, it will be inconvenient for me and my sister to wait in such a long queue,” Narong Chantrakul, 34, said. He is in a wheelchair and was escorted to Sanam Luang by his sister.
Many of the elderly and disabled people from upcountry, including Narong, have decided to head for home despite not getting the chance the bid their final farewell to the revered monarch.
Narong suggested that a special lane be set up for the disabled, adding that the long queues are also demotivating for the aged and the paralysed.
Yesterday, Narong decided to give up after believing that he had to get a queue card and wait in the kilometre-long line to sign the condolence books.
However, like other weekdays, Sanam Luang was quite empty yesterday and officials allowed the public to go through to the Grand Palace without the need for a queue card.
“People can go inside without getting a queue card today [yesterday]. We will distribute queue cards on crowded days such as the weekends and some specific days,” a source at the joint centre explained.
According to the source, the elderly and the disabled do not need to get queue cards, and that visitors will be screened by the authorities to see if they need a wheelchair or special care. These people will be escorted to the front of the queue right away and will not have to wait too long.
Instead of having to spend hours in the scorching sun, it takes the wheelchair-bound just 30 minutes to enter and sign the condolence book inside the Grand Palace’s Sala Sahathai Samakhom Pavilion.
“It is good that they have provided a wheelchair and have helped me pay respects to the King inside. I am happy and feel blessed to be given this chance,” said Opas Thomboon, 44.
Opas, who travelled alone from Surin and arrived in Sanam Luang at 4am yesterday, said he and many other disabled people had made a difficult journey to pay respects to the late King.
He also said that the authorities should take the mobility of the disabled and the elderly into consideration and ensure that everybody has an equal chance to pay their respects to the late King, especially since he is considered a father to millions.