BANGKOK– Privy Council President Gen Prem Tinsulanonda has presided over a royal merit-making ceremony in honor of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit at the Dusit Palace.
Deputizing for His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, Gen Prem this afternoon laid floral offerings and lit candles and joss sticks before the Equestrian Statue of King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V upon his arrival at the Royal Plaza. He then proceeded to the ceremonial pavilion, where he was greeted by the Prime Minister, Cabinet members and civil servants.
To initiate the merit-making ceremony, the Privy Councilor lit candles and joss sticks before Phra Phuttha Norasi Buddha image, which had been relocated from the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall in the Dusit Palace in the same afternoon especially for this occasion. This was followed by his paying of respects to the royal portraits of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit before Supreme Patriarch His Holiness Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatayan led 175 other Buddhist monks in chanting holy stanzas. Afterwards, Gen Prem and high-ranking civil servants together presented saffron robes to the monks.
Another praying session was then conducted, with an aim of paying respects to all ancestral kings and Phra Siam Devadhiraj image as well as offering blessings to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. The ceremony was concluded with the presentation of monastic necessities to all participating monks.
