Police preparing for the King's 85th birthday appearance on Wednesday anticipate at least 200,000 well-wishers will gather in front of the palace in the Royal Plaza and surrounding areas.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) has plans to deploy 2,500 police, 270 investigative officers, and 22 groups of civilian-security police, 10 per group, to provide security along Ratchadamnoen Road.
Police chief Pol Maj Gen Adul Narongsak said there will be service tents providing food, water and first-aid, and mobile toilets, for civilians. There will also be eight police checkpoints where people can report any problems they encounter.
These checkpoints will be at Sanam Suepa, Suan Umporn, the Rama V Monument, the 1st Army headquarters, Government House, the UN Complex, the Royal Survey Department Building and Phan Fa Intersection.
The tents will be operating from 6am Tuesday until the end of His Majesty the King's birthday ceremony.
Mr Adul also announced that all roads near the Royal Plaza will be closed on Wednesday from 5am.
An about 500-metre long stretch of department stores and shops in the Ratchaprasong area, from Chidlom intersection to the BTS skytrain's National Stadium station, are lit up with lighting decorations arranged to mark the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 85th birthday anniversary on Dec 5. (Photo by Paitpat Janthong)