Thais stage elaborate funeral for king's sister

Bangkok: To the wail of conch shells and the thunder of cannon fire, crimson-clad soldiers pulled a gilded chariot containing the body of the Thai king's sister to a seven-story pyre where she will be cremated on Saturday.

Princess Galyani Vadhana, the elder sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died of abdominal cancer 10 months ago at the age of 84.

More than 2,000 soldiers in uniform marched alongside the chariot containing the urn with the remains of the princess in a funeral procession from the Grand Palace through the heart of old Bangkok.

Tens of thousands of Thais lined the route of the procession to bid farewell to the late princess, while millions of others are expected to watch the procession on television.

Flanked by rows of drummers, trumpeters and conch-blowers, the slow-moving funeral train will end at the crematorium.

At the centre is a four-sided castle, decorated with figures of heavenly beings at the base and a special seven-tiered white umbrella used only at royal events.

Members of the royal family will perform the cremation at the pyre on Saturday as guards from the three armed forces fire cannons and a group of court musicians perform
classical Thai music.

In Buddhist temples around the country, Thais will perform religious rites and burn sandalwood flowers in her honour.

The princess was noted for her interest in the arts, especially theatre and classical music, a taste cultivated when she was educated in Switzerland, where she spent much time.