Following the 15-day royal merit-making ceremonies, Pol Gen Siam said on Sunday that 6,200 seats had been arranged to accommodate visitors from 8am to 9pm. More than 3,000 people had arrived in the first hour alone, and the number of visitors throughout the day was expected to exceed 10,000, he said.
Crowds began forming as early as 6am to enter the hall. Some said they had arrived on Saturday night, reports the Bangkok Post.
The First Army Region yesterday joined forces with multiple government and volunteer agencies to facilitate public access to pay respects to the body of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother.
Lt Gen Worayos Luangsuwan, Commander of the First Army Region, inspected operations at the Sanam Luang service area where, as of yesterday morning, some 8,000 people had registered to pay their respects.
In Phuket, Praphakhan Sakulnate and Jirasak Samakkarn, members of the territorial defence volunteer corps, on Sunday began a long-distance walk from Phuket to Bangkok to pay their respects to the Queen Mother.
They paid homage to the statue of King Rama V at the old Phuket Provincial Hall and to the monument of Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Si Sunthon Monument before setting off. Both plan to travel five km per day and expect the journey to take about 25 days.
The Bureau of the Royal Household said attendees are requested to dress in black or white, with collared shirts and no sleeveless tops.
Women must wear fabric skirts or traditional skirts, while jeans are not permitted. Skirts will be available to lend to women who arrive without proper attire.