Hill tribe people hold ceremony to pay respects to late King

CHIANG RAI, Nov 5 (TNA) - Hundreds of Lisu hilltribe villagers in Thailand’s northernmost Chiang Rai province held a sacred ceremony to pay their final respect to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej who gave them new lives through alternative agricultural practices decades ago. On Saturday (November 5), about 300 people gathered before the late King’s portrait at the San Phak Lae Village’s activity ground to participate in the prayer citing led by an elder spiritual leader. The activity is a show of utmost respect and loyalty to the beloved monarch whom they said have given them new lives. Some could not hold their tears while performing the ceremony. Pipob Thaivichikorn, 48, who met with the king when he visited his village decades ago, said lives used to be very hard for Lisu villagers as they had no permanent residences, citizen ID cards, or suitable agricultural activities. “We used to grow opium”, he said, adding that King Bhumibol was the one who made extra effort to visit them and taught them how to grow alternative crops. “Having no citizen ID cards made it hard for us to access education and medical services. The King gave us special coins for use in lieu of the formal ID cards so we did not need to live in hiding and were able to gain access to such public services”, he said. “He also taught us how to grow other crops, including rice, which fit the mountainous terrain so we had improved diets and food security for our families as well as for earning our living”, said Mr Pipob. The passing of the late king was an immense loss for Lisu hilltribe villagers. They vowed to continue to be good citizens for the country and live their lives based on the late king's “sufficiency economy” philosophy. (TNA)