Chonburi marked the 149th anniversary of the death of King Rama IV, who ruled Thailand for 17 years in the 19th century.
Gov. Pakarathorn Thienchai led the Oct. 1 ceremony with police, soldiers, civil servants and students.
King Rama IV, who ruled as King Mongkut from 1851-1868, is best known as the royal figure in the 1956 film “The King and I.”
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Inside the kingdom, he was known as the father of science and technology, introducing modern technology in Thailand amid the first real colonial pressure from the west. A master student of astronomy, he changed the Buddhist calendar, fixing its long-standing miscalculations. He also created courts and the police force.
Rama IV was hailed by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2004 as an important figure towards world of education, science, culture, social sciences, humanities and telecommunications.
Hundreds of Chonburi civil servants and residents gathered for the day and joined the “tak baht” ceremony in the morning before offering garlands and candles before King Mongkut’s image.
