BLACK CLOTHES have been selling out fast at shops across Thailand, which has become a veritable sea of black as loyal subjects mourn the passing of much-revered HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
His Majesty passed away peacefully at the age of 88 on Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief and the beginning of a sombre mourning period.
Shopping malls have been packed with shoppers buying black garments in tribute to the late King.
Wholesale clothes markets in the Bo Bae and Pratunam areas yesterday also attracted large crowds seeking black clothing, with severe traffic jams in surrounding motorways.
The Traffic Police Division said that since the morning, traffic congestion had been reported in nearby Chakkrapadipong Road, Phya Thai Road, Phetchaburi Road, Rama IX Road, Asok-Din Daeng Road and Phaholyothin Road.
The tailbacks also affected vehicles trying to exit the expressway to the Victory Monument area and Phaholyothin Road.
By 11.30am, according to traffic police, a huge number of people were also heading to Central Lat Phrao and Union Mall, with snarl-ups reported in surrounding roads.
Speaking to AFP from her streetside stall at Pratunam, 45-year-old Somporn Sriwichai, who usually sells children’s dresses, said: “All of us in Thailand are very sad and I don’t want to be selling black clothing. But I have very little money and now I have something I can really sell.”
Somporn said she shifted 100 items on Friday alone. She is making more money than she has in weeks, selling T-shirts and polo shirts for between Bt150 and Bt250.
In Sa Kaeo province, the big Rong Kluea Market ran out of black clothes yesterday due to the overwhelming demand.
Vehicles heading to the market caused long tailbacks from 9am. Inside, people snapped up black garments with sad faces.
With such huge demand, prices jumped by 20 per cent for both new and second-hand items later in the day.
“But I’ve heard that all black pieces were sold out fast. People who dropped in later had to return empty-handed,” Major Chan Wongwaimethee, chief of the 1201st ranger company based in Sa Kaeo province, said yesterday.
A Cambodian businessman said the sudden massive demand for black clothes reflected the overwhelming love that Thai people had for the late King.
“If you look around, you will even see that Cambodian vendors at the Rong Kluea Market also wear black now. After spending years at the market, they too have learned about the King’s great and kind contributions to the well-being of his people. We mourn along with Thais,” he said.
The Commerce Ministry has advised members of the public to file complaints if they find any shop overcharging for black clothes. If convicted, offenders could be liable to seven years in jail or a maximum fine of Bt140,000.

In December 1964, the year following the king’s visit, the Emperor — who was Crown Prince at the time — made his first visit to Thailand with the Empress, then Crown Princess, as Emperor Showa’s proxy. In 1991, the Emperor chose Thailand for his first foreign visit after enthronement. It was welcomed as a “royal visit,” which is a higher rank than a state visit, and the king gave him the Most Auspicious Order of the Rajamitrabhorn, which is the highest royal order of Thailand. In 2006, when the country marked the 60th anniversary of the king’s enthronement, the Emperor visited to attend the celebration ceremony. To watch a parade, a special seat between the king and queen was given to the Emperor.

Among other Imperial family members, Prince Akishino has frequently visited the country. With the cooperation of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the king’s second daughter, he has done research into the process of domesticating chickens.

A senior official at the Imperial Household Agency said: “The Imperial family has very close ties with the long-established royal family of Thailand. In accordance with the Emperor’s intention, his condolences will be expressed. Who will attend the king’s funeral will also be considered.”

Japanese people involved with the king mourned his death. Osamu Akagi, the president of Osaka University of Tourism, who specializes in Thai politics and society, translated the king’s book, which was based on a true story of the king taking a stray dog into his care, into Japanese.

Akagi had an audience with the king in Thailand in 2004. He was impressed by the king’s calm expression as he sat beside a dog and said, “We must care for the environment and for creatures.” After the meeting, Akagi found out that the dog was featured in a bestselling book written by the king and decided to translate it. “He was relied upon profoundly as a ruler of virtue and was so loved by the Thai people,” Akagi said.