#Thailand - Last day to pay respects to late King in Dusit Maha Prasat Hall.

TODAY is the last day that mourners will be allowed to pay final respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the beloved late King of the Chakri Dynasty, inside the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall.

Tens of thousands have flocked to the throne hall in the final week as the public has been allowed to pay respects to the late King since October 29.

King Bhumibol passed away on October 13 at Siriraj Hospital after a long illness during which he received medical treatment for many years. He was in his 89th year.

The gate for mourners will close today at midnight to allow for the preparation for the Royal Cremation that is scheduled from October 25 to 29 inside Sanam Luang’s main grounds. The official cremation will be on October 26. 

Mourners attending the Throne Hall will pay final homage before the Royal Urn placed in front of the King’s coffin.

As the final day draws nearer, more and more people have headed to the Grand Palace to pay final farewells to the late King.

At first, the daily closing hours for the mourners was 9pm and the initial closure day was scheduled for last Saturday. However, because of the increasing number of the mourners, HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn on September 26 had the deadline extended to midnight today.

During the extended period, the gates have remained open for mourners around the clock. 

Everyone who is already at the scene before midnight today will be allowed to pay final respects.

Yesterday an estimated 40,000 people queued with one line stretching from Democracy Monument to a screening point near the Rattanakosin Hotel and another from Mon Bridge to the Ror Dor roundabout, where screening also took place

Some mourners had been in the queue the previous night but had not made it inside the palace, so they were back to try again yesterday.

The Royal Household Bureau yesterday reported that 12,532,492 mourners had viewed the Royal Urn in the past 335 days. 

Donations received to make merit for the late King totalled Bt876,090,282, the bureau said. On Tuesday, 88,602 mourners visited the throne hall and donated Bt5,712,411.25, with the final visitors admitted at 3.50am yesterday. 

The highest records for visitations were set on October 1 at 90,300 mourners, Tuesday at 88,602, Monday at 78,948 and September 26 at 73,889.

Source - TheNation

 

James Bond actor Roger Moore died of cancer

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LONDON - British actor Roger Moore, who played the womanising superspy James Bond over two decades with a suave wit, died Tuesday aged 89, his children announced.

"It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer," they said in a statement published on Twitter.

"We are all devastated," Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian said, adding: "Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people."

Moore won fame as the smooth-talking adventurer Simon Templar in British television show "The Saint" in the 1960s, and also starred alongside Tony Curtis in "The Persuaders" in the 1970s.

But it was not until 1973, at the age of 45, that he won the role that for many fans would come to define him, as Bond novelist Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent.

Moore made his debut as 007 in "Live and Let Die", following it with six more films, only bowing out with 1985's "A View to a Kill", when he was 57.

In later years Moore became known for his humanitarian work, notably through his activities as a UNICEF ambassador, helping raise funds for under-privileged children.

"With the passing of Sir Roger Moore, the world has lost one of its great champions for children - and the entire UNICEF family has lost a great friend," the UN agency's executive director Anthony Lake said.

Moore's children said he considered the UNICEF work -- for which he was given a knighthood in 2003 -- his "greatest achievement".

"We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times over, across the world, by people who knew him for his films, his television shows and his passionate work for UNICEF, which he considered to be his greatest achievement," they said.

"The affection our father felt whenever he walked on to a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him busy working into his 90th year, through to his last appearance in November 2016 on stage at London's Royal Festival Hall.

"The capacity crowd cheered him on and off stage, shaking the very foundations of the building just a short distance from where he was born."

They said their thoughts were with his fourth wife, Kristina, adding that there would be a private funeral in Monaco.


Here are well-known films and TV series in which Roger Moore starred:

- 1953: "Pickup on south street" (Samuel Fuller)
- 1954: "The last time I saw Paris" (Richard Brooks)
- 1956: "Diane" (David Miller)
- 1961: "Romulus and the Sabines" (Richard Pottier)
- 1962 - 1969: "The Saint" (television series)
- 1971 - 1972: "The Persuaders" (television series)
- 1973: "Live and let die" (Guy Hamilton)
- 1974: "The man with the golden gun" (Guy Hamilton)
- 1975: "That lucky touch" (Christopher Miles)
- 1976: "The spy who loved me" (Lewis Gilbert)
- 1978: "The wild geese" (Andrew McLagen)
- 1979: Moonraker (Lewis Gilbert)
- 1980: "The Sea Wolves" (Andrew McLagen)
- 1981: "For your eyes only" (John Glen)
- 1983: Octopussy (John Glen)
- 1984: "The naked face" (Bryan Forbes)
- 1985: "A view to kill" (John Glen)
- 1996: "The Quest" (Jean-Claude Van Damme)

Source - TheNation

#Thailand prepares for farewell to beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej

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Officials are working on the Royal Crematorium and related accessories as Thailand prepares for a proper farewell for one of the country’s most beloved monarchs, HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

King Bhumibol passed away on October 13 last year. 

The Royal Cremation Ceremonies for the late King will take place in October this year. At present, the structure of the Royal Crematorium is 91 per cent complete. Structural works for the Royal Merit-Making Pavilion are 99 per cent complete. 

Angel sculptures that will adorn the elaborate structures are now being made. 

Officials have been restoring royal chariots to full splendour as they will also be used for the Royal Cremation Ceremonies. 

Source - TheNation