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Monday October 28, 2024

Thousands turn out for Thai royal barge pageantry

By Reuters
October 28, 2024
Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana and Prince Dipangkorn take part in a royal barge river procession, to mark the 72nd birthday of Thailands King Maha Vajiralongkorn, along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday, October 27, 2024. — Reuters
Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana and Prince Dipangkorn take part in a royal barge river procession, to mark the 72nd birthday of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn, along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday, October 27, 2024. — Reuters

BANGKOK: Thousands of well-wishers lined the banks of Bangkok´s Chao Phraya River on Sunday to watch King Maha Vajiralongkorn ride a glittering royal barge procession to mark his 72nd birthday.

A flotilla of 52 ornately decorated boats, paddled by more than 2,000 oarsmen decked out in scarlet and gold, carried the king and Queen Suthida in formation through the heart of the Thai capital to a Buddhist ceremony at Wat Arun, the city´s ancient Temple of Dawn. —AFP