วันศุกร์, พฤศจิกายน 04, 2559

HOORAY!... The Thai Government will allow Socceroos fans to cheer at the World Cup qualifier match in Bangkok this month, after earlier banning "joyful activities" because of the death of the country's king.





Socceroos fans allowed to cheer at World Cup qualifier in Thailand after death of king


By South-East Asia correspondent Liam Cochrane
ABC.net

The Thai Government will allow Socceroos fans to cheer at the World Cup qualifier match in Bangkok this month, after earlier banning "joyful activities" because of the death of the country's king.

The widely revered monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej died three weeks ago, throwing the country into a year-long period of mourning.

After his death, there was an effort to change the venue, but it will go ahead in Bangkok on November 15.

"It's going to be a great match," Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said.

"You can cheer, you can do everything according to what you would like to do.

"The dress code [of black] is recommended but not required."

She said there would be a tribute at the start of the match to King Bhumibol, who enjoyed skiing, tennis, diving and dinghy racing despite losing sight in his right eye as a young man.

"Our king, he's the king of sports, he loved sports very much and he was the gold medal [winner in the 1967 South-East Asian Peninsula Games] in sailing," Ms Kobkarn said.

Funeral rites continue for King Bhumibol and will continue until his cremation one year after his death.

His son Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn — who went to Australia's Duntroon Military College — is expected to ascend the throne on December 1.

Thailand depends heavily on tourism and the minister responsible wanted to reassure Australian travellers they were welcome.

"This is the time that life should go on," Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said.

Parts of Bangkok's Grand Palace reopened to tourists this week, while in a separate area, thousands of Thais queued to enter the Throne Hall, where the king's body lies in state.

"Coming here makes the magnitude of the situation real," an American tourist visiting the palace said.

The Thai Government said that religious, cultural and sporting events should mostly return to normal after the initial 30 days of mourning ended on November 13.