Some businesses have begun to announce closures on Oct 26 to allow their employees to watch the royal cremation of the beloved late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Major Cineplex Group is the latest organisation to announce the closure of operations at all 119 branches nationwide on the date of the cremation so that staff and customers will be able to pay a final tribute to the late King.
The retailer Tesco Lotus also announced earlier that it would close all 1,900 of its locations nationwide from 2pm onwards on Oct 26 so that its 63,000 workers could watch the ceremony.
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre said on its website that it would be closed on Oct 26 for the same reason.
The two companies and the arts centre will reopen as usual on Oct 27.
According to the Royal Cremation Preparation Committee, the schedule for the cremation day is as follows:
On the morning of Oct 26, the royal urn is to be relocated from the Grand Palace to the royal crematorium, with three elaborate funerary processions moving down various streets around Sanam Luang. The cremation ceremony is due to start at 5.30pm, while the actual cremation is scheduled for 10pm.
There will be special events and public performances -- from khon dance to orchestra -- staged as a final tribute to the late king. It is expected that the various performances will run from 6pm on Oct 26 to 6am on Oct 27.
On Oct 27, the collection of the royal relics will take place at 8am at the royal crematorium. The official mourning period will end on Oct 28. The royal crematorium zone, however, will remain open to the public for viewing for another month after that.
