Thais crowd banks to purchase commemorative banknotes

BANGKOK, October 18 (TNA) - As commemorative banknotes have quickly become a long-lasting souvenir for late beloved His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thais have started lining up at banks during office hours to buy ones for themselves and their families. At the headquarters of the Government Savings Bank (GSB) in Bangkok, a throng of Thais waited in a long queue on Tuesday for their turns to purchase the 84th birthday anniversary commemorative banknote of the late and beloved Thai monarch, with the first one arriving as early as 2am. GSB President Chatchai Payuhanaveechai told journalists that there are a total of 90,000 commemorative banknotes left and all are now offered to the public, starting from October 18 until all of them are run out. Chatchai said there are two types of the commemorative bills, one is the 200-baht set including the note itself and an envelope and the other is the 500-baht set including the banknote, an acrylic frame and a music box. According to the GSB president, each person is allowed to purchase no more than five sets of the 200-baht collection and only one set of the 500-baht collection, all are available at the GSB headquarters on in the city's Saphan Kwai area. In the meantime, Bangkok Bank is also inviting the public to exchange two normal 100-baht bills for one commemorative bill earlier issued on the 84th birthday anniversary of the late His Majesty the King at of its branches nationwide. Meanwhile, the Department of Treasury, under the Thai Ministry of Finance, has planned to issue a commemorative coin series in remembrance of the late His Majesty the King during his funeral over the next one year. The department's director-general, Chakkrit Parapuntakul, told reporters that his department is in the process of designing the commemorative coin, on which the late His Majesty's image and the crematorium would be depicted. Chakkrit revealed that the commemorative coin would be made of gold, silver, and nickle, all the three types of which could only be ordered by reservations, with the price starting from 100 baht each. Besides, the Treasury Department will mint out new coins in 2017 by increasing the production rate by 20 per cent, from the earlier planned of 800 million units, based on its anticipation that the general public would like to keep the coins with the portrait of late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyedej depicted on them as souvenirs and would refrain from using them. (TNA)