Editor, Writer, Researcher
Estimates that one million people might gather here during the period are probably conservative, says Tongthong Chandransu, a law professor and expert on Thai royal funeral ceremonies. “After all, 500,000 people showed up last year on October 14 to observe when the king’s body was transferred across the river from Siriraj Hospital to the Grand Palace,” he says.
If you're already ensconced there, give these rally sites a very wide berth. You can even take a "taxi boat" from Phra Athit pier to piers near the Grand Palace, Wat Po and the National Museum. Don't take the San Saeb Canal boats which run eastward from Wat Saket. Get back to your hotel area by dark and don't wander out to the Democracy Monument area.
Yet Somyot acknowledged that the bombing might have been set in motion by Thailand’s July 8 deportation of 109 Uyghur men and women back to China at China’s request–despite pleas from the international community and Turkey’s willingness to welcome them as ethnic Turkic brethren.
In the race to wire all these homes Jasmine is mostly vying with True, backed by the deep pockets of Thailand’s richest clan, the Chearavanont family.
Others are famous singers or actors who are using their star power to promote their favorite causes. All are leaving the region a powerful legacy—whether it’s museums, symphony orchestras, a global project to eradicate polio, rural kindergartens, free health clinics or help for war refugees.
Susan J Cunningham 