King, Queen of Bhutan arrive

King, Queen of Bhutan arrive

Requests special day of prayer at home

The kings and queens of Bhutan (left) and Lesotho are among the dozens of royals and dignitaries from all of the world attending Thursday's ceremonies. (Photos courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The kings and queens of Bhutan (left) and Lesotho are among the dozens of royals and dignitaries from all of the world attending Thursday's ceremonies. (Photos courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, his queen and his 1-year-old son are among the royals and distinguished guests from foreign countries that have flown in to attend the royal cremation ceremony for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

At home, the King of Bhutan ordered special prayers coinciding with Thursday's royal cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

His Holiness the Je Khenpo will preside over the day-long special prayer, the Facebook page "His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck" reported Wednesday.

"The prayer ceremony will be attended by the members of the royal family, senior government officials, diplomatic corps, the Thai community living in Bhutan and the general public," it read.

"The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand is revered as a visionary king, not just in Thailand but all over the world. His compassion and love for millions of Thai people has resulted in around 4,000 rural development projects, which have been at the forefront of innovation and continue to benefit millions of Thai to this day," it continued.

"In a lifetime of achievements, the late King's legacy of benevolence, vision and selfless persona will remain a hallmark of leadership and a beacon of integrity for generations to come."

The King of Bhutan is one of the royals who has strong bonds with the late King.

The Bhutan King has been well-known in Thailand since 2006, when he was still a crown prince. He visited the country to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the late King's accession to the throne.

After that, he studied the work of the late King and followed the monarch's advice, to ensure the betterment of the Bhutanese.

When the late King passed away on Oct 13 last year, the King and the Queen of Bhutan came to Thailand on Oct 15 to pay their respects.

Besides the Bhutanese monarchs, royals, leaders and representatives of 42 countries have confirmed their attendance at the royal ceremony.

As of Wednesday evening, distinguished guests from at least 19 countries had arrived in Thailand. They included HM King Tupou VI and HM Queen Nanasipau'u of Tonga, HM King Letsie III and HM Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho as well as the UK's HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

President Htin Kyaw of Myanmar, and his spouse Ms Su Su Lwin as well as Ms Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, a vice-president of Vietnam, have also arrived.

Meanwhile, Pol Col Kritsana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Police (RTP), said maximum security is being maintained to ensure law and order during the visits by royalty and country leaders attending Thursday's royal cremation.

"The RTP chief has told the police responsible for ensuring security for the royal guests that there is absolutely no room for any mistakes," said Pol Col Kritsana.

He was speaking after visits on the eve of the funeral ceremonies by national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda to the police's temporary operation centres. They have been set up at city hotels including The Peninsula, The Sukhothai, The Okura Prestige, The Athenee Hotel and the Conrad Bangkok Hotel, where royal guests and foreign dignitaries attending the royal cremation are staying.

Later in the day, Pol Gen Chakthip was to drop in on other TRP security centres to inspect their readiness.

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