Thailand begins national mourning for the passing of the Queen Mother

The government has sought cooperation from entertainment businesses today, by suspending or scaling down their activities for 30 days, as the country began mourning the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, in Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital last night.

The organisers of entertainment events which have already been prepared are advised to make appropriate adjustments, in line with the mourning period, or to postpone until a more appropriate time.

Traisuree Traisoranakul, the prime minister’s secretary-general, clarified that the cabinet did not, however, ban entertainment activities during the mourning period.

Members of the public have been streaming to the hospital since early morning to mourn and pay tribute to the late Queen Mother. Many were seen carrying portraits of their beloved Queen Mother, some wept openly, while others were seen hugging each other in emotional support.

The government has ordered all public agencies, state enterprises and educational institutes to fly their national flags at half-mast for 30 days from today. All civil servants and state enterprise employees are to observe a mourning period of one year, while members of the public are advised to mourn as they think appropriate.

The Office of the Permanent Secretary of Prime Minister’s Office has been designated by the cabinet to form a committee to arrange the state funeral for the late Queen Mother, with the prime minister as the head of the committee. Members of the Royal family will be invited to share their advice.

Several committees will be appointed, each tasked with different responsibilities, such as public relations, security, preparation of the funeral ground, the royal carriage and the arrangement of 100 days of prayers. Members of the cabinet will take turns to attend the daily prayers throughout the funeral period.

The Ministry of Interior and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have been tasked by the cabinet with organising activities to enable members of the public to pay tribute to the late Queen Mother throughout the funeral period.

The Foreign Ministry has been assigned to prepare texts about all the related activities in English to offer a wider understanding of the funeral procedure among foreign media and non-Thais.