Hundreds of people kept an overnight vigil at Sanam Luang to make sure they would be among the first allowed inside the Grand Palace today to pay their final respects before the Royal Urn of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Many people spent the night out in the open in tents while others used temporary shelters provided by the government.
The government will allow up to 10,000 mourners into the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall each day to pay respects before the Royal Urn and the late King’s body. Queue cards are required to access the venue.
The distribution point for queue cards has been moved from Wat Mahathat to the section of Sanam Luang opposite the old Supreme Court building on Rajdamnoen Nai Avenue.
The relocation was confirmed last night by Maj-General Pongsawat Panchit, deputy commander of the First Army Area which is responsible for security in the area. He said the relocation was due to the possibility of long lines.
“The new point is relatively far from the Grand Palace but that will allow space for longer lines and make it easier to manage the crowd,” he said.
The new queue-card distribution point will open from today, the first day when the Throne Hall will be opened to the public to pay homage to the late King.
Huge crowds of black-clad mourners are expected to pour into Sanam Luang this morning.
The starting time for distribution of queue cards has not been confirmed but Pongsawat said it would start in the morning “when everything is ready”, based on the judgement of the authorities.
PM’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, who is secretary-general of the government’s command centre, said groups of 70 people at a time would be allowed into the Grand Palace. And if there is time left, more people will be allowed inside until 9pm.
He said the government would ensure the safety of mourners, especially those arriving by ferry from Sathon Pier to Tha Chang Pier near the Grand Palace, while the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will increase the number of buses by 10 per cent to accommodate more commuters.
In addition, tour companies yesterday met with the Tourism and Sports Ministry to arrange traffic routes and bus-parking facilities for foreign tourists wanting to visit the Grand Palace, which will be reopened to the general public on Tuesday. Tourists will use entrances to the Grand Palace separate from mourners.
Suwaphan said the closure of major roads around the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang would be revised from time to time. The government will ensure that public transport provided by the city’s bus agency is convenient as private motorists are required to park their vehicles at major parking facilities in the suburbs, he added.
On the dress code, he said officials would not be strict with elderly people who could not wear proper shoes.
Krisda Boonraj, permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, said the ministry had arranged trips for mourners to come to Bangkok from upcountry, with 3,000 expected to enter the Grand Palace daily. Of this number, 750 people from each province will be issued queue cards according to alphabetical order.
The first group of provincial mourners to enter the Grand Palace today are from Krabi, Kamphaeng Phet, Kalasin and Kanchanaburi, he said. “We focus on villagers who could not conveniently come to Bangkok on their own,” he said. At this stage, the ministry has set aside a budget to pay for the trips until January 20 – the first 100 days of the royal funeral rites.
The government also has advised elderly persons with chronic ailments to carry personal medicine while visiting the Grand Palace. It also urged people not to rush as the mourning period will last one year.
Meanwhile, police said private vehicles would not be allowed on major roads around the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang starting from 7am today. Mourners are advised to use free public transport from Sanam Luang to various locations of Bangkok.