Thousands mourn 'Por' in Buri Ram

Thousands mourn 'Por' in Buri Ram

Several thousand mourners throng a crematorium at Wat Klang in Buri Ram’s Muang district yesterday, waiting to place flowers in front of the coffin of late actor Tridsadee ‘Por’ Sahawong. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL
Several thousand mourners throng a crematorium at Wat Klang in Buri Ram’s Muang district yesterday, waiting to place flowers in front of the coffin of late actor Tridsadee ‘Por’ Sahawong. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL

Grief blanketed Wat Klang in Buri Ram as several thousand mourners bade their last farewell to actor Tridsadee "Por" Sahawong amid a sharp drop in temperatures yesterday.

Many of them stayed at the temple until sundown on a cold Sunday evening to see off their beloved star at the end of the royally-sponsored cremation of the actor, who died at the age of 37.

The ceremony finished after 6pm, but the actor's many performances and his reputation as someone who liked to help the less well-off are fixed firmly in the minds of his family, colleagues and fans.

At 1pm, members and relatives of the Sahawong family took a final glimpse of their loved one.

Screens were set up around the coffin for their privacy. His wife Wanda, the last to leave, burst into tears while hugging her two-year-old daughter Mali.

The ceremony began when royal fire, provided by His Majesty the King, was brought to the temple around 3.30pm.

At 4pm, Buri Ram governor Seri Sihatai brought a set of monk's robes and dok mai chan, or paper flowers used in cremation rites, provided by Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali, to the ceremony.

Actors and actresses joined other mourners in placing the flowers to express their sorrow and pay their last respects to Por near a crematory building decorated mainly with white flowers.

"Por's good deeds are like the fragrance of flowers that blow against the wind," actor Bin Banluerit told a reporter. Besides his performance in about 30 TV soap operas, Por was widely admired for his social conscience. He was known for letting farmers raise rice on his Buri Ram farm, asking for nothing but a share of their harvest.

Por's love for family also was long recognised. In 2009, he was awarded for the gratitude he expressed to his parents by the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand. He was also an ambassador for the World Society for the Protection of Animals in addition to participating in other charity initiatives.

Among the mourners yesterday was Niphaphan Wieber, a member of his fan club who flew in from Germany to join the ceremony.

She said she was always impressed by Por's easy and down-to-earth character.

Two elders in attendance, aged 67 and 78 from Surin, said they felt terrible about Por's untimely death. He died after struggling with complications of dengue fever while being treated for more than two months.

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