The university’s “Volunteers For Dad” programme was carried out in cooperation with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to assist millions of Thais who flocked to the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang to pay their respects to the late King.
All 33,517 volunteers as well as donors, who provided bottled water, snacks and first-aid medicine to visitors, were thanked for their contributions from October 19 to last Saturday. Yesterday was the 23rd day when people were allowed to enter the Grand Palace to pay their respects before HM the King’s Royal Urn.
Among yesterday’s notable visitors to the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall where the Royal Urn is placed was a group of 300 blind and visually-impaired persons who were accompanied by about 100 volunteers.
Thida Thavornseth and Weng Tojirakarn, leaders of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), yesterday handed out 1,500 sets of ready-to-eat meals and bottled water to people who came to the Grand Palace to pay homage to the late King.
According to Thida, Bangkok-based UDD members prepared the meals for the general public to express their sorrow regarding the great loss.
So far more than 8 million Thais nationwide have expressed condolences in writing following the King’s passing after a seven-decade reign.
Several foreign leaders, including the prime ministers and presidents of India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, have come to Bangkok to personally pay their final respects to the King.