The trip was sponsored by local administrative organisations so as the upcoming four more trips; November 24, December 13, January 1 and January 20.

Similarly, 18 chartered buses carrying 750 residents departed Phuket for Bangkok on Saturday morning – as part of the province’s scheme to send 3,000 representatives to pay respects to the beloved monarch. Upcoming trips were slated as November 25, December 14 and January 2.

Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit, acting deputy city police chief, said that the 27 roads around Sanam Luang and the adjacent Grand Palace would be closed as per the previous weekends, as police tried to prevent vehicles other than the shuttle buses from coming into four main areas of Rajadamnoen Nok Road’s Jor Por Ror Intersection, Lan Luang Intersection, Borommaratchachonnani Road’s Arun Amarin Intersection, and Sanam Chai’s Raksa Dindaen Roundabout. He said the road closure had proven to be effective in getting people to use shuttle buses.
As the TU Tha Phra Chan Campus is hosting a graduation ceremony rehearsal, police has urged parents and students not to bring their personal cars into the area but to use the shuttle buses that could pick people from various places. He said cars would also be prohibited from parking inside the campus on Sunday from 5am onward, as the big rehearsal would be held.

The much-beloved king passed away at the age of 89 on October 13.
Senior officials from the bureau visited the national park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province yesterday to inspect the 19 trees selected by the park’s officials.
Of these trees, four have been selected.
These trees will be cut on Monday.

AS A LONG-TERM solution to the recurring problem of fluctuating rice prices, Thailand should reduce its total rice-production area rather than subsidising prices every year, a group of academics say.
They agreed that government measures to help farmers by a rice-pledging scheme or price subsidy would not solve the problem at its root.
They urged the government to focus on long- term solutions to ensure that farmers will be guaranteed enough profit.
Viroj na Ranong, a senior research specialist with the Thailand Development Research Institute, said the government should decrease the rice-growing area, because the unstable price was often caused by the very high supply of rice into the market.
“I can see the effort by the government to decrease rice production by encouraging farmers to switch to other crops such as sugar cane or maize, but this is not a good answer, because these crops also have a low prices,” Viroj said.
“What we should do is let the farmers do other jobs instead, because right now there are too many farmers and too much rice production in the country. If the profit from rice is not enough to live on, the farmers should find other jobs.”
Decharut Sukkumnoed, a professor at Kasetsart University’s faculty of economics, agreed that the rice-production area should be reduced, but unlike Viroj, he suggested that farmers allocate some of their land to grow other crops.
“I’d like to invite the farmers not to use all of their land to grow rice but instead spare some of it for other crops, or raise animals, or dig a pond for water retention. They can also grow fruit trees or trees for logging to earn profit in the future,” Decharut said.
He said this would allow farmers to stay in their jobs and they would have more financial stability than from solely relying on rice.
He urged the government to ensure that farmers have more power to bargain in the market if they have to plant new types of crop, or they will face the price problem again.
Viroj said the government should come up with a price guarantee for farmers to let them know how much they can gain from their hard labour, and this would help them decide whether to grow rice.
“I don’t see that financial subsidies will help the farmers. If we pour money in to make rice prices high, more people will see this as an opportunity to grow more rice, and in the end more rice producers will enter the market and drive the price back down,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anusorn Tamajai, faculty of economics dean at Rangsit University, suggested that to address the problem in the long term, the government should introduce a futures-market system and price-insurance system to ensure that the price will be on an acceptable level for all stakeholders.
“We should encourage the farmers to make more profit from rice cultivation by reducing costs, increasing yield, or giving special welfare to farmers. We may also encourage the farmers to increase the value of their products, so they can get more income from their hard work,” Anusorn said.
“I still believe that short-term measures like the rice-pledging scheme are important, but we should gradually reduce this financial help and at the same time empower farmers.”

From today, mourners will have to show their national identity cards to police to enter the vicinity, and 27 roads around Sanam Luang will be closed as authorities cope with the enormous influx of mourners.
“We have to screen people, as dishonest people from other nations have stolen assets from our people in Sanam Luang,” Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Maj-General Sompong Chingduang said.
Thousands of mourners have made a pilgrimage to the Grand Palace every day since the passing of much-revered HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej for a chance to pay their respects before his portrait during the 15 days since his demise.
The late King’s body is now resting inside the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace, which will be open to members of the public until further notice.

During the past weekend, the turnout of mourners was so huge that lines to enter the Throne Hall were several kilometres long.
As well as dealing with hordes of grief-stricken mourners, police are concerned small-time criminals would be taking advantage of the crowds and thousands of homeless people are swarming into the area to get free food from volunteers that is intended for mourners.
Sompong yesterday explained that if any Thai resident forgot to bring along their national identification card, they would have to register with police before they can enter the area.
He said that it was clear now that the crowds will be much bigger on weekends than weekdays, so authorities have to close off some roads and urge mourners to come to the Grand Palace via public transport.
First Army Area commander Lt-General Apirach Kongsompong, who also heads the joint safety operation centre, said yesterday that he had already asked the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to take care of homeless people.

“About 12,000 homeless people from many areas come to Sanam Luang each day to get free food,” Apirach pointed out.
After emerging from a meeting with the joint safety operation centre, the ministry’s inspector-general Narong Kongkham said homeless people would be invited to stay at the Mitmaitree Home in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district where they could get free shelter and food.
“We will strictly screen people in Sanam Luang over the next two weeks. If you find someone that looks like a person living in a public area, please notify the nearest officials,” Narong said.
Apirach suggested that free food should be provided in the Sanam Luang area only during certain times of the day.
First Army Area deputy commander Maj-General Pongsawat Phannachit said Apirach also recommended that separate tents be set up to provide free food to cash-strapped people so they do not get in line with mourners.

Pongsawat also encouraged mourners to observe people around them as some might have mental problems.
He said officials from the Mental Health Department were on standby to help handle such persons.
The Volunteers for Dad has announced that its permanent tents will suspend operations on November 6, 11, 12, and 13 as rehearsal and conferral ceremonies for graduates of the nearby Thammasat University will take place.
“During those days, we will have to operate from temporary tents in the middle of Sanam Luang instead,” the group’s assistant director, Vikorn Permpuak, said.

The special song, that was written for the late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and talks about His Majesty’s royal activities and this historic singing campaign, will be recorded into a music video, he said.
The singing would take place on November 7, from 8.30am to 10am, at Nong Lerng Peuy water retention project in Rong Kham district, while November 8 will see two singing sessions, in the morning at the Phu Thai Cultural Centre in Kham Moung district and the evening, from 3.30pm to 5pm, at Thep Suda Bridge in between Sahatkhan and Nong Kung Sri districts. On November 9, a session will be held in the morning at Ponglang Yak roundabout in Muang district. Other sessions will be held at the Lam Phayang Reservior in Khao Wong district, he said

Presiding over the “Khon Korat Mai Khadklaen Nam” (“Korat people suffer no water shortage”) project launch in Tambon Sam Muang of Sida district, Wichian joined villagers in filling sandbags for a check dam construction on Huai Yang Creek.
At the same time, state officials led similar check dam construction projects, Including Second Army Region chief Lt Gen Wichai Chaejorhor in Tambon Maklua Kao of Sung Noen district, deputy governor Murathathi Rakchatcharoen in Tambon Sra Jorakhe in Dan Khun Thot district and deputy governor Thanapol Channimi at Tambon Mitraprap in Sikhieo district.