Members of the public paying their respects before the body of His Majesty the late King were granted an audience with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn during a royal merit-making ceremony in the Grand Palace on Saturday.
Since Saturday, mourners have been allowed to enter the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace to pay their respects to the late King, except during royal merit-making ceremonies.
However, the Princess allowed the public to enter the throne hall during a merit-making ceremony that she was presiding over on Saturday evening. The public was grateful for the Princess's kindness.
Meanwhile, the number of people paying their respects before the body of His Majesty the late King will be limited to about 30,000 a day in the days ahead.
- Earlier report: Sanam Luang off-limits 9pm-4am
The government has abandoned a plan to issue a daily quota of 10,000 queue tickets and has allowed mourners to enter the throne hall in groups of at least 70 at a time to cope with the huge crowds.
Over the past two weeks, the public had been allowed to pay their respects before a portrait of the monarch, who passed away on Oct 13.
The Royal Household Bureau said Sunday the turnout was estimated at 29,480 on Saturday, the first day the public was allowed inside the throne hall.
Based on Saturday's figures, the Joint Peace and Order Centre has decided to limit the number of mourners to 30,000 a day, said Maj Gen Kritdanai Itthimonthon, chief of staff at the First Army.
Sanam Luang was filled with huge crowds queuing to get inside the Grand Palace Sunday. By 11am, authorities had to cap the number at 30,000, with the remainder asked to return later.
The first group of mourners were allowed to enter the throne hall at 5:15am instead of 8am as originally planned. The hours of access have been extended to 9pm daily.
Maj Gen Thammanoon Withi, the 1st Army deputy commander, said the peace and order centre will meet to consider allowing the public to request a queue ticket to enter the Grand Palace in advance via the internet.
Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana from the Prime Minister's Office said the plan to issue queue tickets on site to people waiting to get inside the throne hall had to be cancelled because it restricted the number of people paying their respects to the late King to 10,000 a day.
If visitors were properly arranged in groups, as many as 30,000 would be able to enter the throne hall per day. Special queues would be arranged for the elderly and handicapped, he said.
Adjustments would be made on a daily basis to respond to problems that arise, he added.
Mr Suwaphan said the meeting also discussed a plan for Nov 1, when the Grand Palace will be opened to foreign tourists for the first time.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry agreed to explain to tour companies and guides about the arrangements of transportation and other formalities.
Maj Gen Pongsawat Phanjit, another 1st Army deputy commander, said Sanam Luang will be open to the public at 4am and close at 9pm. The hours took effect Sunday.
Between 9pm and 4am, Sanam Luang will be off-limits to everyone except government workers keeping the area clean and free from vagrants. People travelling from up-country are advised to stay at shelters provided by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, but not at Sanam Luang for health and safety reasons, he said.
According to the Royal Household Bureau, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has allowed descendants of the Royal House of Chakri, privy councillors, the cabinet, government agencies, and the private sector to host funeral chanting rites in the throne hall after a royal merit-making ceremony marking 50 days since His Majesty the King passed away is completed.
The Royal Household Bureau also said mourners will be allowed to enter the Grand Palace through the Manee Nopparat Gate from Nov 1, instead of the Wiset Chaisri Gate, which will be opened for tourists visiting the Grand Palace.
Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Sunday that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has conveyed his thanks to officials who have worked hard to take care of people pouring into Bangkok from across the country to pay tribute to the late King.
Lt Gen Sansern said he wanted all people to follow the advice given by officials regarding use of transportation, clothing and manners.
Below: Local residents and students work together on building a check dam and plant trees as a tribute to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at a temple in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)
