HIS MAJESTY KING Maha Vajiralongkorn will preside over a royal merit-making ceremony at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to commemorate the passing of his father, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, on the occasion of the late King’s birthday today.

Thai people across the country will also use the opportunity to commemorate the late King who passed away in October at the age of 89.

At the royal ceremony, King Maha Vajiralongkorn will also promote and appoint 159 senior Buddhist monks and grant money to senior courtiers, according to the Bureau of Royal Household. Both rituals have been traditionally carried out on every birthday of King Bhumibol.

A mass merit-making ceremony for the late monarch will be held on Bhumibol Bridge I, which links Bangkok with Samut Prakan, in tribute to the late King who initiated the bridge project in 1995 to alleviate traffic congestion in industrial areas. The ceremony will be hosted by the Samut Prakan local administration and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Samut Prakan Governor Chatchai Uthaipan said the morning event would be presided over by Deputy Prime Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn, who at 6.19am will lead an 89-second moment of condolence for the late King. He then will join participants in singing the royally composed song “The Impossible Dream” and the Royal Anthem before making an offering to 999 monks.

All participants then will be welcome to write vows on postcards to commit good deeds in tribute to the late King’s virtue. The postcards will be blessed in a New Year’s prayer ceremony and returned to writers as lucky objects.

The first 50,000 participants will receive No 9-shaped token brooches. As many as 19,999 collections of blessed soil from sacred temples nationwide will also be given away to acknowledge World Soil Day, established by the United Nations in honour of the late King’s dedication to soil development.

According to the Department of Rural Roads, Bhumibol bridges I and II and the Kanchanaphisek Expressway at the Pu Chao Saming Phrai Road section will be closed between midnight and 11am for the ceremony. There will be parking and shuttle buses will be used to take people to the ceremony.

More information on transportation for the event can be obtained by calling 1672 or 1543 or visiting http://5december.tourismthailand.org.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the National Office of the Buddhism (ONAB) will host a merit-making ceremony this morning at Khon Muang Plaza in front of Bangkok City Hall. It will be joined by 189 Buddhist monks and members of the public.

According to PM’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, who is overseeing the ONAB, activities will be carried out all day at the Plaza. There will be a live jazz performance of royal songs played by the late King’s Au Saw Friday Band and a candle ceremony at 6pm in memorial to the late, beloved monarch.

The activities have been organised by governmental agencies including the Culture Ministry and the situation-monitoring command centre.

In Prachuap Khiri Khan province where the late King’s Klai Kangwon Palace is situated, people are welcome to write a condolence to the late monarch.

The initiative started yesterday and ends on January 4. They are being given photos of the royal chanting ceremony at the late King’s passing inside Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall.

King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia sent a royal message to the new King, as quoted by China’s Xinhua news agency, saying: “I am confident that the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation existing between our two Kingdoms and Buddhist peoples will continue to be developed and enhanced under Your Majesty’s wise and benevolent reign.”

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei also sent a congratulatory message to HM the King, recalling how relations flourished between the two countries during the reign of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

According to Radio Television Brunei, Sultan Bolkiah looked forward to continuing to strengthen bilateral ties and extended wishes to the new Thai king for his reign and the Thai people for continued peace and prosperity. Thailand and Brunei established relations in 1984.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the new King as a “worthy successor” of the dynasty, during which Russia and Thailand have developed diplomatic relations for almost 120 years.

“I hope in the time of Your Majesty’s reign Russian-Thai cooperation will gain further development for the benefit of the friendly peoples of our two countries and in the interests of the strengthening of stability and security of the Asia Pacific region,” the message read, according to the Russian Embassy.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden sent a telegram to HM the King, wishing him health and happiness and for the well-being and prosperity of the Thai people.

King Abdullah II of Jordan offered his congratulations to the King while stressing his desire to develop and strengthen bilateral relations, the Ammon News agency said. Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the crown prince of Bahrain, also wished HM the King success in meeting expectations and aspirations of the Thais for more progress and prosperity, according to Bahrain News Agency.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD) chief Chatchai Phromlert yesterday sent urgent letters to warn 39 |districts in 10 southern provinces |of more downpours, flooding and landslides.

All branches were asked to work with local authorities to complete flood prevention plans. The affected provinces are Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, Narathiwat, Krabi, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Phatthalung and Yala.

Nakhon Si Thammarat could declare Chulabhorn district as a flood disaster zone after an initial assessment found that flooding of up to a metre deep had affected 30,000 |people, or 12,000 households.

Farmland and roads in the district were inundated, with seven schools temporarily closed. A five-year-old boy died in the flooding on Friday.

As heavy rain continued to fall yesterday, Chulabhorn was swamped along with Cha-uat and Ron Piboon districts while roads in Sichon, Thung Song and Noppitam, as well as some low-lying areas of Muang district, were also flooded.

Residents living around the Khao Luang mountain range were told to evacuate as the cumulative rainfall went beyond 200 millimetres, posing a risk of landslides and forest runoffs. So far, residents of three villages in Sichon have been evacuated due to flash floods.

In Pak Phanang district, the city area suffered flooding from seawater inflows while piles of garbage and sand were swept onto the seaside road.

In Pattani, where a continuous downpour caused the Pattani River to rise and send overflows to riverside homes, an 11-year-old boy with special needs drowned after being swept into the torrential Lakoh Canal in Ma Yor district yesterday morning.

In Surat Thani province, floodwater of up to one metre spread to eight districts – Tha Chana, Chaiya, Vibhavadi, Khiri Ratthanikhom, Phunphin, Tha Chang, Don Sak, and Kanchanadit.

It was reported that at least 5,000 families, or 15,000 people, were affected by flooding there, which caused damage estimated at Bt10 million.

Two deaths were reported in Surat Thani – Phunphin woman Amporn Chuphromkaew, 65, and six-year-old schoolboy Nattapol Manachak in Kanchanadit.

Fisherman Suthep Abmanee, 57, went missing after his long-tail boat capsized at Phum Riang Bay in Chaiya district. Ten homes in Tambon Wiang of Chaiya had their roofs destroyed in a rainstorm, although no injuries were reported.

In Trang’s Rassada district, 37 villages in four tambons were inundated, affecting some 5,000 residents, while a main road to the district office was under almost a metre of water. Trang Governor Siripat Pattanakul warned all districts, especially those near the Banthat mountain range and Trang River, to follow weather updates and prepare emergency plans.

Trang Railway head Wirat Khongdee said flooding of a section of track in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Thung Song district cut train passengers off from Trang train station. Four special buses were laid on to transport them to their destination safety.

In Songkhla, the districts of Muang, Hat Yai, Na Mom and Saba Yoy were inundated. Floodwater at areas outside Hat Yai city receded yesterday but canals, especially Klong U-tapao, were still on a yellow-flag alert, signifying flood risk.

Klong U-tapao was expected to send overflows to Hat Yai later last night, worsened by a deluge from upstream Sadao district.