The public can watch the final rehearsal of the processions for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's royal cremation ceremony this weekend in Bangkok.
To facilitate today's practice run, 19 roads around the Grand Palace were due to be closed to traffic from 10pm last night to 4pm today, according to the committee overseeing security and traffic management. They will be inaccessible to spectators.
The ceremonial ground at Sanam Luang where the funeral pyre is located will also be closed during these hours and locked off to the public, the committee said.
Today's event will take place from 7am to around 3pm with the concluding part of the rehearsals due tomorrow. Sunday's schedule has not yet been confirmed.
With five days to go before the cremation ceremony for the revered monarch on Thursday, mourners will be able to see the results of almost one year of planning and preparation in the capital with test runs spread over two days.
The official ceremony will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, with merit-making ceremonies and others done in private within the throne hall.
A full view of the complete royal crematorium at Sanam Laung following the removal of scaffolding. A final dress rehearsal will take place today for the funeral processions of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's cremation ceremony. Apichit Jinakul
Recommended viewing spots for today's dry run include Maha Rat Road near the banks of the Chao Phraya River and Ratchadamnoen Nai Avenue from the old head office of the Supreme Court to the City Pillar Shrine.
Officials said three additional locations would be provided for people to watch the long-awaited spectacle.
These include an area by the wall of the Grand Palace on Maha Rat Road from Deva Phirom Gate, a spot by the palace wall on Thai Wang Road, and a third location running parallel to the palace wall on Sanam Chai Road, said Pornpitak Mansiri, an official attached to the Public Relations Department.
These locations will also be open to the public on Thursday, he added.
The roads that will be closed today include Ratchadamnoen Nai Avenue, Sanam Chai Road, Lak Muang Road, Kanlayana Maitri Road and Charoen Krung Road.
The other roads being closed are Phra Phiphit Road, Thai Wang Road, Maha Rat Road (near the Grand Palace), Maha Rat Road (near Wat Mahathat), Phra Chan Road, Setthakarn Road, Chetuphon Road, Phraya Phet Road, Na Phra Lan Road, Na Phra That Road, Rachini Road, Phra Arthit Road and Saran Rom Road.
A section of Atsadang Road from Phan Phiphop Lila intersection to Phra Phithak intersection will also be closed today, possibly for a longer period, said Pol Maj Gen Jiraphat Phumijit, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
Meanwhile, checkpoints have been set up to screen visitors coming to watch the rehearsal to ensure there are no disruptions. They will open at 5am, officials said.
The roads listed above will also be closed from 3pm-6pm on Sunday to allow for rehearsals of the 4th, 5th and 6th processions, officials said.
This is the part of the ceremony where the royal relics of the late King will be transported to the Grand Palace shortly after the royal cremation on Thursday, Pol Maj Gen Jiraphat said.
Officials said that Sanam Luang and surrounding areas should be able to accommodate 40,000 to 50,000 people during the official royal ceremonies.
Another rehearsal will take place this afternoon for the motorcade for foreign royals and dignitaries who will attend the royal cremation ceremony, officials said.
The public have been asked to avoid the following routes today from 2.30pm to 6pm: From Rama IV expressway to Yommarat expressway, from Surawong expressway to Uruphong intersection, and from Yommarat expressway to Silom.
Deputy Prime Minister Gen Tanasak Patimapragorn said yesterday the royal crematorium is now fully complete.
Gen Tanasak said the area around the royal crematorium will be open to the public after the conclusion of the royal cremation ceremony. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over the opening ceremony on Nov 2.
Meanwhile, His Majesty the King will on Monday attend a ceremony at the King Rama V Equestrian Monument to mark Chulalongkorn Memorial Day at the Royal Plaza, according to the Royal Household Bureau.
