Thailand expects 250,000 to attend late king's cremation

A quarter of a million people are expected to descend on the Thai capital for an elaborate cremation ceremony planned for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej next month, a junta leader said yesterday.

The kingdom has been prepping for the event since Bhumibol died at the age of 88 in October, triggering an outpouring of grief in a nation where the charismatic leader commanded a cult-like following.

Royal artists have been working around the clock to erect an enormous funeral pyre outside Bangkok's Grand palace, complete with towering spires and covered in sculptures of mythical beasts.

Spanning four days from October 25-29, the cremation event will be a spectacular and costly affair infused with Buddhist ceremonies, cultural performances and arcane palace rituals that will send Bhumibol's spirit off to the afterlife.

"We expect around 250,000 people to attend this royal ceremony," deputy junta leader Prawit Wongsuwon told reporters on Friday, adding that replicas of the funeral pyre would be set up around Bangkok to help absorb the crowds.

Some 70,000 security officers will be deployed to keep the peace, he added.

Since the monarch's death, tens of thousands of black-clad mourners have been queueing daily to visit the throne hall where Bhumibol's body is lying in state.