Thousands have gathered in Bangkok to participate in a five-day funeral ceremony for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The funeral begins today with a Buddhist religious ceremony attended by senior members of the royal family. King Bhumibol, who died last year aged 88, will be cremated on Thursday on a royal pyre within a cremation complex of gold pavilions in front of Bangkok’s Grand Palace, in a ceremony that is expected to draw about 250,000 mourners.
