Year-long funeral starts for Thailand's former queen Sirikit
Year-long funeral starts for Thailand's former queen Sirikit
A year-long funeral has started for Thailand's former queen Sirikit who died at the age of 93 on Friday, Oct 24.
The former queen's body will lie in state for one year before cremation.
Citizens have been asked to dress in muted colours and curtail celebratory public events for 90 days.
Sirikit had been out of the public eye since a stroke in 2012.
For more than four decades, Sirikit frequently travelled with King Bhumibol Adulyadej to remote Thai villages, promoting development projects for the rural poor.
She collaborated with French couturier Pierre Balmain on eye-catching outfits made from Thai silk and is credited with helping revitalise Thailand's silk industry.
Sirikit was associated with the People's Alliance for Democracy, whose protests brought down governments led by or allied to Thaksin Shinawatra.
