BANGKOK — 12 June 2026, A 55-year-old volunteer travelled across Bangkok on Friday to distribute more than 600 herbal inhalers to people gathering at Chulalongkorn Hospital to pay their respects and follow developments concerning Princess Bajrakitiyabha.
Joe, 55, travelled from Bueng Kum district to the hospital using a combination of taxi, boat and motorcycle taxi services to take part in relief efforts for members of the public arriving at the site.
She distributed more than 600 inhalers to people waiting in the area and said the products were made by a volunteer group using a formula originally developed at Mahidol University. The formula was adapted from a traditional liquid menthol inhalant into a tube format, allowing the group to produce and distribute larger quantities.
Joe said the initiative grew out of volunteer work linked to projects under the royal patronage of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother. The group already had a stockpile of inhalers available for distribution.
As the person responsible for production, she contacted a network of volunteers with whom she has worked for more than a decade to help distribute the inhalers to members of the public.
However, she said the situation developed unexpectedly and, because it was a Friday, many volunteers were unable to leave their regular jobs at short notice.
“Normally, we have several team members. But this happened very quickly and many people were still at work, so I had to come and hand them out myself first,” she said.
Joe said the 600 inhalers she brought on Friday represented the maximum amount she could transport conveniently on her own. Additional supplies remain in storage and will be distributed later.
She expects more volunteers to arrive on Saturday, when the royal remains are scheduled to be moved, bringing additional inhalers and other essential items for the public.
Joe said she had already left part of the supply with people inside the area to continue distributing them, anticipating larger crowds later in the day, particularly middle-aged and elderly people, some of whom had been waiting since the previous night.
“An inhaler may seem like a small thing, but I wanted to offer something to encourage the people waiting here, because I can’t stay and hand them out all day,” she said.