BANGKOK: In baby-blue caps and yellow scout scarves, an army of royal volunteers is sprucing up Thailand before this weekend’s coronation – a projection of unity and loyalty to the unassailable crown in a divided kingdom that remains locked in political crisis.
Smooth operators: A soldier standing beside volunteers during a rehearsal for the royal coronation in Bangkok. — AFPIn baby-blue caps and yellow scout scarves, an army of royal volunteers is sprucing up Thailand before this weekend’s coronation – a projection of unity and loyalty to the unassailable crown in a divided kingdom that remains locked in political crisis.
From planting mangroves in southern Trang to scrubbing pavements in northern Tak, or hanging miles of orchid garlands in historic Bangkok, the mass mobilisation is coming to a head with the May 4-6 coronation just days away. It is also a way for a monarch who spends much of his time overseas to connect with his subjects in a kingdom where royalism leans heavily on ritual, symbols and mass demonstrations of fealty.
His 66-year-old heir is not as well known by his subjects, and his three marriages and colourful private life when younger have been the subject of gossip in the past.
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