BANGKOK, Thailand — A grand six-day cremation ceremony for the Thai monarch’s sister began Friday with saffron-robed Buddhist monks chanting prayers, launching a period of mourning that promises a temporary halt to the country’s political conflict.
Princess Galyani Vadhana, the elder sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died of abdominal cancer 10 months ago at age 84.
The 80-year-old king led the royal family in Friday’s ceremony at the Grand Palace, where more than 100 specially chosen monks were in attendance. The king lit candles and incense, as his wife, Queen Sirikit, and their children looked on.
Tens of thousands of Thais are expected to line the streets today to watch as three processions involving more than 2,000 soldiers in dress uniforms carry the remains of the late princess to the Grand Crematorium — a $5.7 million temporary complex of pavilions in Bangkok built by hundreds of Thai craftsmen over the past seven months.
To the wail of ancient Thai music, the soldiers will pull an elaborately decorated chariot containing the urn from the Grand Palace through the heart of old Bangkok, flanked by rows of drummers, trumpeters and conch-blowers.
Thais will perform religious rites and burn sandalwood flowers in her honor at temples around the country, and millions are expected to watch the procession on TV.
The ceremony will provide a brief break from the protest-fueled political sparring that has gripped Thailand since anti-government protests began in May. In the worst political violence in the country in 16 years, two protesters were killed and more than 470 injured when the protesters and riot police clashed on Oct. 7.
Protesters say they will suspend their demonstrations for the duration of the funeral. They accuse the government of acting as proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.
