Thai king to pay his respects to sacred Emerald Buddha

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn will pay his respects to the Emerald Buddha, one of Thai Buddhism’s most sacred relics on Friday, media reports said.

He will also conduct the final rituals before his three days of coronation events, and light an auspicious candle.

On Friday, the king will first visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to pay respect to the Buddha image, one of Thailand’s most sacred relics, before moving to the Grand Palace.

There, he will light the auspicious candle at 4:19 p.m. (9:19 GMT) - a time that court astrologers determined was propitious - while 80 Buddhist monks chant.

Earlier on Friday, a senior palace official transferred a golden plaque with the king’s official name and title, the king’s horoscope and the royal seal from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to the Grand Palace in preparation for Saturday’s event.

The coronation, which takes place from Saturday to Monday, will be the first the country has seen in 69 years, since his father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was crowned in 1950.

The 66 years old King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known by the title of King Rama X, became a constitutional monarch after the death of his father in October 2016.

Ahead of the grand ceremonies, the king said he would grant royal pardons to some prisoners to “give them a chance to become good citizens”, according to the Royal Gazette on Friday.

The document, which will take effect on Saturday listed many criteria for prisoners who are eligible for the pardon, including those with disabilities, chronic or terminal diseases, or those with one year left to serve.

The king will also reduce sentences for some prisoners, including those imprisoned for life, and commute inmates’ death sentences to life.

It is not yet clear how many people will qualify for the pardons.