His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, and members of the Royal Family attended the royal religious ceremony of chanting in accordance with royal tradition for the royal funeral rites of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace on October 26, 2025.
BANGKOK— Thailand’s beloved Queen Mother was laid to rest in the Grand Palace on Saturday evening, as thousands of mourners lined Bangkok’s streets to pay their final respects to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who died on October 24 at age 93.
The solemn funeral procession departed King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital at 4:26 p.m., making its way through the heart of the capital as grieving citizens dressed in black bowed their heads along the route. The procession traveled along Henri Dunant Road, Phaya Thai Road, and Sri Ayutthaya Road, passing Chalerm Phrakiat Park and the Marble Temple before arriving at the Grand Palace.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida personally accompanied the coffin from the hospital, joined by Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, and Chao Khun Phra Sineenat Bilaskalayani. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess Chulabhorn Walailak, and other members of the royal family received them at the hospital’s 29th-floor reception room.
The royal procession transporting the royal remains of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, drives from Chulalongkorn Hospital to the Grand Palace in Bangkok on October 26, 2025. (KHAOSOD Phoro/Chavalit Panyong)The vehicle transporting the body of Queen Mother Sirikit, drives from Chulalongkorn Hospital to the Grand Palace, in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The royal procession used the same silver Volkswagen Caravelle V6 van with blue stripes that carried King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) during his procession in 2016, linking the final journeys of Thailand’s longest-reigning monarch and his queen consort.
Lying in State Under Nine-Tiered Umbrella
At Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall, the coffin was placed behind a pedestal displaying the royal urn beneath the Great Golden Urn (Phra Kot Thong Yai), covered by a nine-tiered white umbrella—the highest symbol of royal status in Thai tradition.
The Bureau of the Royal Household announced that King Vajiralongkorn has granted the public access to pay their respects in two phases.
Starting Monday, October 27, citizens may view the Queen Mother’s portrait and sign a condolence book at Sahathai Samakhom Pavilion from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
After the completion of 15-day merit-making ceremonies, the public will be permitted to pay respects before the royal urn at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall starting November 9, with extended hours from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.
The Great Golden Urn of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother, the highest symbol of royal status in Thai tradition, stands at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace on October 26, 2025.Mourners gather outside Grand Palace as the royal remains of Queen Mother Sirikit is transported, in Bangkok on October 26, 2025. (KHAOSOD Phoro/Chavalit Panyong)
Royal Cremation Expected Next Year
The Fine Arts Department will construct a Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang following ancient royal traditions, with the cremation ceremony expected to take place in 2026. Following the 100-day merit-making period, government officials, organizations, and the public will be permitted to sponsor Abhidhamma chanting ceremonies.
Police Issue Mourning Guidelines
The Royal Thai Police has asked citizens and visitors to dress respectfully in black, white, or dark colors, maintain solemn behavior, and avoid loud celebrations during the mourning period. Officers will be stationed at key areas, and security screenings will be conducted at Grand Palace checkpoints.
“The Royal Thai Police extends its appreciation to the Thai people and international community for their cooperation, understanding, and heartfelt condolences during this period of national mourning,” the force said in a statement.
Queen Sirikit served as Queen Consort alongside King Bhumibol Adulyadej for 69 years until his death in 2016. She passed away at 9:21 PM on October 24, 2025, at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.
President Donald Trump, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, and Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pose with their documents during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Thailand and Cambodia signed an expanded ceasefire agreement on Sunday during a ceremony attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose threats of economic pressure prodded the two nations to halt skirmishes along their disputed border earlier this year.
Thailand will release Cambodian prisoners and Cambodia will begin withdrawing heavy artillery as part of the first phase of the deal. Regional observers will monitor the situation to ensure fighting doesn’t restart.
“We did something that a lot of people said couldn’t be done,” Trump said. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet called it a “historic day,” and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the agreement creates “the building blocks for a lasting peace.”
The ceremony was Trump’s first event after arriving at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hosted in Kuala Lumpur. The trip, which will continue with visits to Japan and South Korea and a potential meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, is an opportunity for Trump to burnish his reputation as an international dealmaker at a time when his tariffs have scrambled the international economy and he’s feuding with Democrats over a government shutdown back home.
Trump touched down in the Malaysian capital shortly before 0200 GMT, where he performed his trademark campaign trail dance with local performers and waved an American flag in one hand and a Malaysian flag in the other.
He’s expected to sign agreements with Malaysia involving trade and critical minerals later in the day. The U.S. has been working to expand its supply chains to rely less on China, which has limited exports of key components in technology manufacturing.
President Donald Trump and Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul exchange a document during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump is reengaging with a key region of the world
But this year’s event offered a fresh opportunity for Trump to play global peacemaker.
Thailand and Cambodia fought for five days in July, killing dozens and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, some of the worst modern fighting between the two countries. The two countries have competing territorial claims, and violence periodically flares along their border.
Trump threatened, at the time, to withhold trade agreements unless the fighting stopped in a display of economic leverage credited with spurring negotiations. A shaky truce has persisted since then.
After the expanded ceasefire agreement was signed on Sunday, Trump inked separate economic deals with Cambodia and Thailand.
“The fact that Trump was holding the tariff card was actually very, very significant,” said Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penh’s Future Forum think tank. “That’s probably the main reason, if not the only reason, but definitely the main reason why the two sides agreed immediately to the ceasefire.”
Now, he said, “there’s a ceremony for Trump to be in front of cameras” so he can be “seen as the champion that brings an end to wars and conflicts,” giving him ”more ammunition for his bid for Nobel Peace Prize.”
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, from left, Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet and U.S. President Donald Trump hold up documents after the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Mohd Rasfan/Pool Photo via AP)
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia during opening remarks at the summit, saying, “it reminds us that reconciliation is not concession, but an act of courage.”
Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura described the deal on Saturday as a “joint declaration” that will show Thailand and Cambodia “are committed to renewing their relations.”
“It’s not an end in itself,” Nikorndej said. “Work has just begun.”
Tariffs are in focus on Trump’s trip
Trump is expected to sit down with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva while he’s in Kuala Lumpur, but not Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The U.S. leader is angry with Canada because of a television ad protesting his tariffs, and on his way to the summit, announced on social media he would hike tariffs on Canada because of it.
Another trade war is front and center on Trump’s trip — this one, with China. Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One that he was optimistic his meeting with Xi, expected to take place in South Korea, could yield progress on a range of issues. Fentanyl trafficking and soybean sales are among Trump’s priorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to dancing performers during a welcoming ceremony after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, to attend the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Hasnoor Hussain/Pool Photo via AP)
“I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal,” Trump said. “I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he wants things also.”
Details about Trump’s agreements have been characteristically scarce, even after he departed Washington. It remains to be seen whether Trump’s dealmaking addresses longstanding issues or puts them off for another day.
He expressed confidence about the prospect of finalizing trade agreements with Japan and South Korea, two longstanding allies and trading partners, during the trip.
“We have deals with a lot of people and they’re very good deals,” Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One.
One leader who will be absent from the summit in Kuala Lumpur is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although he was close with Trump during his first term, the relationship has been more tense lately. Trump caused irritation by boasting that he settled a recent conflict between India and Pakistan, and he has increased tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil.
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Associated Press writer Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left and Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul react as they switch country signs during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
F eeling possibly jittery and just wanting to make sure that the Thai public is on board with him before signing a peace deal with Cambodia, PM Anutin Charnvirakul went live on Facebook to reassure Thai nationalists and ultranationalists that the accord signed in Malaysia today will not put Thailand at a disadvantage.
Anutin repeatedly avoided using the word ‘peace accord’ or peace deal, despite some Thai press and foreign press, including Al Jazeera or Malaysia’s New Straits Times, calling it a “peace deal” – and the host, Malaysia, calling it peace deal, as well. This speaks volumes about Thai ultranationalists’ disinterest in wanting to see the conflict end now, or end in what they perceive to be a stalemate.
Despite the immense pressure from US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister and ASEAN Chair Anwar Ibrahim, the agreement signed today, October 26, 2025, was just a first major step towards normalising Thai-Cambodia relations.
The London-based The Economist proclaimed this morning that Donald Trump’s move in KL today was a “quixotic intervention in the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia [that] will do little to change America’s estrangement from the region.”
All that can be said is that immense pressure was applied behind the scenes and the Thai side seems more reluctant to sign the peace deal.
That is why Anutin livestreamed to ask for support before signing the Thailand-Cambodia agreement and assures that “no clause will put Thailand at a disadvantage.”
Anutin stressed that the rumour of accepting the 1:200,000 map is untrue, proclaims, “Thais love peace, but will not shrink from war.”
The PM addressed the concerns that the negotiation might put Thailand at a disadvantage, explaining that he decided to livestream on Facebook to give confidence that none of the 4 clauses in the declaration to be signed today with Cambodian PM Hun Manet will disadvantage Thailand.
Anutin added that the accord contains 4 main key points that the Cambodian government must implement: 1. The withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the border area, 2. Demining and clearing of explosive ordnance, 3. Cooperation in suppressing scammer crime or technological crime, and 4. Seeking a path for joint management of the overlapping claim area to prevent problems.
“All four points must be initiated by Cambodia first. Once they begin, we will then assess and proceed further with creating peace in the relationship between the two countries.
”There is no indication that we will open checkpoints or take any action that suggests surrendering territory, such as ‘we will lose land,’ ‘we will build a fence,’ or ‘we will use the 1:200,000 area.’ Right now, Thailand is not under any of these conditions,” he said, adding that this declaration is simply a guideline for both countries to implement to bring about peace and tranquility in the border area of both countries and in the relationship between the two countries.
“We do not wish to be an enemy to anyone, not a single person. We naturally love peace; as our national anthem says, ‘Thais love peace, but will not shrink from war.’ This is what Thailand has always adhered to since we have had issues in our relationship with Cambodia.”
The Prime Minister then asked for support, and reiterated that “it is not a ceasefire agreement, nor a Peace Agreement, but a Joint Declaration or a guideline that will lead to the creation of peace in the territory of both countries.”
PM Anutin then thanked Thais and reminded the viewers that he regarded the Thai people as his masters and superiors.
The thing with many of Anutin’s masters and superiors is that they have gone ultranationalist and are suspicious of any deal with Cambodia, whom they regard as tricky if not dishonest.
Signing a ‘peace deal’ is one thing, ensuring that there will be peace between Thailand and Cambodia, including Thais and Cambodians, is another thing and a much harder thing to achieve given the prevailing climate of ultranationalism in Thailand and Cambodia.
The past two weeks saw Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit and Human Rights Watch senior Thai researcher Sunai Phasuk being character assassinated, witch-hunted, and their safety threatened to the point where the two had to seek police protection—all for merely stating publicly that the use of loud ghost sounds against Cambodian civilians across the Thai border by an ultranationalist social media influencer was wrong and a violation of human rights.
Many Thai media outlets were also guilty of fanning ultranationalist sentiments over the months since the five-day undeclared war between Thailand and Cambodia in late July.
Meanwhile, in Cambodia, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen had to warn on Facebook earlier this week after a Cambodian posted a video of the burning of Thai goods. Since yesterday, Khaosod English had to restrict the comment section on Facebook after complaints were made about Cambodian FB users posting rude and inhumane messages expressing schadenfreude upon the death of HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother. The comment restriction is still on today.
Basically, the Pandora’s box of ultranationalism has been opened in both countries. Thais and Cambodians are not just facing a continued tension between both nations, despite the accord signed today, but they are also facing an internal struggle against the growing tide of ultranationalism, made worse by many media outlets in both countries. The other conflict is not just Thai-Cambodian, but internal.
Ultranationalists tend to be vocal, although this writer doesn’t think they constitute the majority of the Thai people. Anutin would do well to recognise that he has to listen to many different masters and not just one particular group—the extremist group, who will continue to call for a zero-sum stance against Cambodia and seek to derail the peace accord when the reality is that in the end, a compromise is needed to accommodate one another peacefully.
At around noon today (Bangkok time) Anutin signed a “Peace Deal” with Cambodia in Kuala Lumpur, with Cambodian PM Hun Manet. US President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Prime Minister and ASEAN Chair Anwar Ibrahim sat as witnesses and signed the accord as well.
”It will begin the process of mending our ties,” said Anutin, adding that he hoped the agreement will be adhered fully and in good faith.
Now, while trying to make the peace deal stick, Thais and Cambodians will need to look into their respective internal conflicts where ultranationalists are still waging a war against peace, not just between their two countries, but domestically against moderate voices as well.
Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, from left, East Timor Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao and East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta prepare to pose for a photo during the signing ceremony of the Declaration on the Admission of East Timor into ASEAN at the 47th ASEAN summit, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — East Timor’s prime minister told leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that it was a “dream realized” for his nation to be admitted to the bloc and an opportunity as it seeks to boost its struggling economy.
“Today, history is made,” Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao told the other leaders as the flag of East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, was added to the other 10 on the stage at a formal ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.
It was ASEAN’s first expansion since the 1990s and was more than a decade in the making.
“For the people of Timor Leste this is not only a dream realized, but a powerful affirmation of our journey — one marked by resilience, determination and hope,” he said.
The ceremony marked the opening of ASEAN’s annual summit, followed by two days of high-level engagements with key partners including China, Japan, India, Australia, Russia, South Korea and the U.S.
East Timor’s Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, 5th from left, and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, center, prepares to sign the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN during the 47th ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived Sunday in his first trip to Asia since returning to the White House, and was expected to sign a trade deal with Malaysia later in the day. Trump was also to take part in the signing of an agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, expanding a ceasefire that halted their border conflict earlier this year.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Japan’s newly inaugurated Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are among more than a dozen other leaders expected to be on hand.
ASEAN membership brings East Timor, with a GDP of around $2 billion, better access to an economic community of nations with some 680 million people and a $3.8 trillion economy.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, right, greets East Timor’s Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao during the 47th ASEAN summit and related summits opening ceremony at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country holds the bloc’s rotating chairmanship, said East Timor’s accession “completes the ASEAN family, the affirming of our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship.”
He said ASEAN’s goal was to “pursue growth that is both resilient and fair, and to safeguard the welfare of generations to come.”
The integration of the region’s youngest and poorest nation — with just 1.4 million people — demonstrates ASEAN’s “inclusivity and adaptability, especially at a time of geopolitical flux,” said Angeline Tan, an analyst with Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic & International Studies:
“As protectionism is on the rise, the expansion of ASEAN demonstrates its commitment to regionalism, openness and equal participation,” she said.
The last country to join ASEAN was Cambodia in 1999.
East Timor Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao speaks during the signing ceremony of the Declaration on the Admission of East Timor into ASEAN at the 47th ASEAN summit, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
East Timor, wedged between Indonesia and Australia, was a Portuguese colony for over four centuries before declaring independence in 1975.
Indonesia invaded nine days later, beginning a brutal 24-year occupation that claimed tens of thousands of lives through conflict, famine and disease. A U.N.-supervised referendum in 1999 paved the way for independence, which was formally restored in 2002.
Today it is led by two independence heroes, Prime Minister Gusmao and President Jose Ramos-Horta, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996.
They are trying to tackle high levels of unemployment, malnutrition and poverty. Some 42% of the country’s population live below the national poverty line. Nearly two-thirds of its citizens are under 30 years old, making youth job creation a high priority.
East Timor’s President Jose Ramos-Horta, left, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto greet each other during the 47th ASEAN summit opening ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Its major source of government revenues comes from the oil and gas industry, but with resources quickly becoming depleted it is looking to diversify.
Initially, the idea of bringing East Timor into ASEAN was met with skepticism by several other members, and even though that was overcome, Joanne Lin, co-coordinator of the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute’s ASEAN Studies Centre in Singapore, said adding the nation is “not without challenges.”
“Timor-Leste’s administrative and institutional capacity still lags behind most ASEAN members, and full participation will require sustained technical and financial support from the secretariat and member states,” she said. “But its inclusion also brings new energy and perspectives — especially on issues like youth empowerment, democratic governance and small-state diplomacy.”
For East Timor, ASEAN membership gives it access to the bloc’s free trade deals, investment opportunities and a broader regional market.
East Timor applied for membership in 2011 and was granted observer status in 2022.
“For us this new beginning brings immense opportunity in trade, investment, education and the digital economy — we are ready to learn, innovate and uphold good government,” Gusmao said.
“This is not the end of a journey, this is a beginning of an inspiring new chapter. ”
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens aboard Air Force One at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump headed for Asia for the first time this term, a trip where he’s expected to work on investment deals and peace efforts before meeting face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to de-escalate a trade war.
“We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us,” Trump told reporters Friday night as he left the White House. “I think we’ll have a good meeting.”
The president will have a long-haul flight that has him arriving in Malaysia on Sunday morning, the first stop of a three-country visit.
His trip comes as the U.S. government shutdown drags on. Many federal workers are set to miss their first full paycheck this week, there are flight disruptions as already-squeezed air traffic controllers work without pay, and states are confronting the possibility that federal food aid could dry up. As Republicans reject Democratic demands for health care funds, there’s no sign of a break in the impasse, but Trump seems to be continuing on with business as usual, including his foreign trip.
“America is shut down and the President is skipping town,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said.
Trump’s first stop is at a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur. Trump attended the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit only once during his first term, but this year it comes as Malaysia and the U.S. have been working to address a skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia.
The logo of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is pictured in front of Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers ahead of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
On Sunday, he’s scheduled to have a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, followed by a joint signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia.
Trump threatened earlier this year to withhold trade deals with the countries if they didn’t stop fighting, and his administration has since been working with Malaysia to nail down an expanded ceasefire.
The president credited Ibrahim with working to resolve the conflict.
“I told the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, I think I owe you a trip,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Beyond trade, Lula on Friday also criticized the U.S. campaign of military strikes off the South American coast in the name of fighting drug trafficking. He said he planned to raise concerns with Trump at a meeting on Sunday in Malaysia. The White House has not yet publicly confirmed the meeting is set to take place.
After Malaysia, Trump has stops in Japan and South Korea
From there, Trump heads to Japan and South Korea, where he’s expected to make progress on talks for at least $900 billion in investments for U.S. factories and other projects that those countries committed to in return for easing Trump’s planned tariff rates down to 15% from 25%.
The trip to Tokyo comes a week after Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Trump is set to meet with Takaichi, who is a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump was close to Abe, who was assassinated after leaving office.
Trump said Takaichi’s relationship with Abe was “a good sign” and “I look forward to meeting her.”
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, waves as she departs for Malaysia to attend an ASEAN summit, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Hidetaka Komukai/Kyodo News via AP)
While there, Trump is expected to be hosted by Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and meet with U.S. troops who are stationed in Japan, according to a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity about the planned trip.
In South Korea, Trump is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with China’s Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
While the APEC summit is set to be held in Gyeongju, the Trump-Xi meeting is expected to take place in the city of Busan, according to the U.S. official.
The meeting follows months of volatile moves in a trade war between China and the U.S. that have rattled the global economy.
FILE – In this Saturday, June 29, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Four decades after the U.S. established diplomatic ties with communist China, the relationship between the two is at a turning point. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Trump was infuriated earlier this month after Beijing imposed new export controls on rare earths used in technology and threatened to hike retaliatory tariffs to sky-high levels. He has said he wants China to buy U.S. soybeans. However, earlier this week, Trump was optimistic, predicting he would reach a “fantastic deal” with Xi.
Trump also said he might ask Xi about freeing Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy newspaper founder, saying “it’ll be on my list.”
As Thailand commemorates the passing of Queen Sirikit on October 24, images from throughout Her Majesty’s life reveal a woman of timeless elegance and impeccable style.
Her fashion legacy was internationally recognized when she was honored with an inscription in the Hall of Fame in New York City, United States, as one of the 12 best-dressed women in the world—a testament to her refined taste and cultural significance.
A Blend of Tradition and International Sophistication
Queen Sirikit’s royal wardrobe masterfully combined traditional Thai court dress customs with international haute couture. Many of her Western-style garments were designed and tailored by renowned French designer Pierre Balmain, reflecting her appreciation for global fashion excellence.
FILE – Queen Sirikit of Thailand walks from the plane at London Airport, United Kingdom, on July 16, 1966, which brought her and King Bhumibol Adulyadej, her husband, from Thailand. (AP Photo/Victor Boynton, File)
However, her most significant contribution to Thai culture was her leadership in preserving and revitalizing traditional arts, particularly through the creation of “Thai Phra Ratcha Niyom” (Thai Royal Preferred Dress). This initiative not only sustained Thailand’s textile heritage but is now on track to be recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2026.
Creating a National Identity Through Fashion
During state visits accompanying King Rama IX to more than 30 countries over six decades of diplomatic relations, Queen Sirikit personally prepared her wardrobe with a clear intention: to showcase authentic Thai identity on the world stage.
The Thai traditional dresses she wore during these international visits were crafted from Thai fabrics, demonstrating her creative brilliance in both preserving and innovating Thai dress traditions.
Birth of Thai National Dress
In 1960, Queen Sirikit observed that Thai women lacked a distinctive national costume comparable to India’s sari or Japan’s kimono. This realization sparked extensive research, consulting with historians and studying portraits of royal consorts from previous reigns and other members of the royal family.
She commissioned tailors to create garments for her upcoming state visit abroad—marking the beginning of what would become the Thai Phra Ratcha Niyom dress collection.
Eight Styles That Became a Standard
In 1964, Her Majesty graciously allowed the publication of a photo book titled “Thai Women,” showcasing five initial Thai dress styles: Thai Ruean Ton, Thai Chitralada, Thai Amarin, Thai Boromphiman, and Thai Chakri. Three additional styles were later created: Thai Dusit, Thai Chakkraphat, and Thai Siwalai.
Chud Thai: The Knowledge, Craftsmanship and Practices of the Thai National Costume
These eight dress styles established the standard for Thailand’s national costume, inspiring countless adaptations and variations. More significantly, this initiative sparked a revival of regional Thai textiles through handicraft programs that remain popular and thriving today.
Queen Sirikit’s vision transformed Thai traditional dress from historical artifact into living culture, ensuring that Thailand’s textile heritage would continue to flourish for generations to come.
FILE – British Queen Elizabeth II, right, smiles as she greets Thai Queen Sirikit, left, with Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej looking on at a reception at the British Ambassador’s residence in central Bangkok, Oct. 30, 1996. (AP Photo/Pool, File)
The logo of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is pictured in front of Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers ahead of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers opened talks Saturday ahead of a landmark ASEAN summit that will formally welcome East Timor as the bloc’s 11th member and mark U.S. President Donald Trump’s first trip to Asia since returning to the White House.
The meeting serves as a curtain-raiser for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit which starts on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, followed by two days of high-level engagements with key partners including China, Japan, India, Australia, Russia, South Korea and the U.S.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan cautioned his counterparts that “the turbulence of global politics will surely continue to cast a long shadow over our region in the years ahead.”
“As the international landscape becomes increasingly dominated by contestation rather than consensus, division rather than dialog, ASEAN finds itself at a crossroads,” he said.
“Our space for neutrality and centrality is narrowing, particularly in areas such as trade, technology and regional security arrangement.. we must continue to act as the speakers and not the spoken for.”
A separate leaders summit of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership — the world’s largest trade bloc encompassing ASEAN and five partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand — will convene for the first time since 2020.
From left to right, Lao’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs U Hau Khan Sum, Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Chu, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, unidentified Brunei’s representative, Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono, East Timor’s Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn pose for a group photo during ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Its revival comes as regional economies seek to stabilize trade flows at a time when Washington’s tariff measures have rattled markets and tested decades of globalization.
Apart from Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japan’s newly inaugurated Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are among more than a dozen leaders attending the ASEAN summit and related meetings.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will also participate as new sectoral dialogue partners — part of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s effort to deepen ASEAN’s economic ties with Africa and Latin America.
Trump’s return to Asia
Trump’s trip marks his first ASEAN meeting since 2017 and his first journey to Asia in his second term. The last U.S. president to attend an ASEAN meeting was Joe Biden in 2022.
Officials say Trump is expected to witness new U.S. trade deals, including with Malaysia.
Trump is also expected to preside over the signing of an expanded ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, following border clashes between the countries earlier this year. The ceasefire deal was brokered in Kuala Lumpur in July with ASEAN’s support and under Trump’s threat to suspend trade negotiations.
His trip will also take him to Japan and South Korea.
President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event to welcome the 2025 LSU and LSU-Shreveport national champion baseball teams in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“Trump’s presence reflects a rare moment of direct U.S. presidential engagement in the region,” said Joanne Lin, co-coordinator of the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute’s ASEAN Studies Centre in Singapore. It signaled Washington still sees value in ASEAN as part of its Indo-Pacific outreach, she said.
“But more than deepening U.S. involvement, this visit is about visibility. Trump wants to project himself as a global dealmaker at a time when his domestic policies, especially tariffs, have unsettled key partners in the region,” Lin said.
Tight security in Kuala Lumpur
Security has been ramped up across Kuala Lumpur ahead of planned protests against Trump’s visit, particularly over his administration’s stance on the Palestinian issue.
Anwar has said the government would allow peaceful demonstrations but vowed the meetings would proceed smoothly. While Anwar acknowledged that some critics may have called Trump anti-Muslim, Anwar commended Trump for helping broker a ceasefire in Gaza “which is near impossible under normal terms.”
Malaysia, however, maintains that the truce has not resolved the Palestinian question and intends to raise the issue directly with Trump during the summit, Anwar said.
In his opening remarks, Mohamad welcomed Trump’s plan for peace, calling it “an important step forward” while emphasizing he hoped would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
East Timor joins ASEAN
This year’s summit marks a milestone for ASEAN as it welcomes a new member for the first time in 26 years. It has been a long but rewarding journey for East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, which applied for membership in 2011. The last member to join ASEAN was Cambodia in 1999.
“Welcoming this young democracy strengthens not only our collective resolve, but also our capacity to meet future challenges together,” Mohamad said.
The integration of the region’s youngest and poorest nation — with just 1.4 million people — is being hailed as a symbolic step for regional inclusivity. East Timor was a Portuguese colony for over four centuries before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, right, shakes hands with ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn as they arrive to attend the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A brutal 24-year occupation followed, claiming tens of thousands of lives through conflict, famine and disease. A U.N.-supervised referendum in 1999 paved the way for independence, which was formally restored in 2002.
ASEAN membership gives East Timor access to the bloc’s free trade deals, investment opportunities and a broader regional market — vital for diversifying an economy long reliant on oil and gas.
“They are poor, yes, but they still have the potential. As a community, it’s our duty to prop up these countries,” Anwar has said.
During the meetings, ASEAN will sign an upgraded free trade pact with China and continue negotiations on a long-delayed code of conduct for the contested waterway.
Meanwhile, the civil war triggered by Myanmar’s 2021 military takeover continues to test ASEAN’s unity, with military government leaders still barred from summits after failing to comply with the bloc’s 2021 Five-Point Consensus on peace and dialogue. Myanmar’s plans for elections in December — dismissed by critics as neither free nor fair — have put the bloc in a tight spot and will be discussed at the summit.
The military government has invited ASEAN nations to send election observers, but accepting could be seen as legitimizing the regime, while refusal risks further isolating Myanmar and weakening ASEAN’s leverage.
“The bigger question is what happens after the vote: whether ASEAN will continue to disinvite Myanmar’s political representatives from future summits if the junta claims legitimacy through this election,” Lin, the Singapore-based analyst, said.
A mourner holds a portrait of Thailand Queen Mother Sirikit in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
BANGKOK — Thailand’s government declared a year of official mourning for civil servants following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother, as Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul led the nation in expressing grief and gratitude for her decades of service to the kingdom.
Anutin, who also serves as interior minister, spoke to reporters Saturday after chairing a special Cabinet meeting convened in response to the Bureau of the Royal Household’s announcement of the Queen Mother’s death on October 24.
“Today we held a Cabinet meeting to prepare everything for the Royal Funeral Ceremony of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother,” Anutin said. “The Cabinet has received all necessary instructions to ensure the ceremony proceeds with the highest honors befitting Her Majesty.”
The government said it received the news of the Queen Mother’s passing “with profound sorrow” and issued a series of national mourning directives.
Flags and Mourning Period
All government offices, state enterprises, and educational institutions are to lower the national flag to half-staff for 30 days beginning Saturday.
Civil servants, state enterprise employees, and government officials are required to observe a one-year mourning period starting October 25.
Government House in Bangkok lowered flags to half-mast on the morning of October 25 to mourn the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother, who passed away on the night of October 24, 2025.
Members of the public are encouraged to mourn “as they deem appropriate.” The prime minister urged citizens to wear black clothing for at least 90 days or, if not possible, to avoid bright or flashy colors.
“In our capacity as Her Majesty’s subjects, I ask for cooperation,” Anutin said. “We should reciprocate her immense benevolence.”
Meanwhile, the government asked the public and private sectors to adjust or tone down planned events and activities to reflect the national mourning period. Officials said there was no order or resolution to suspend entertainment or public events, acknowledging that many businesses in the entertainment, tourism, and service industries had made advance plans.
The government urged organizers to exercise discretion and ensure activities are conducted in a manner appropriate to the atmosphere of mourning.
Royal Funeral Arrangements
The Cabinet approved plans for the Royal Funeral Ceremony, which will be held with full honors in accordance with royal traditions.
The public will be allowed to pay respects before Her Majesty’s portrait at the Sahathai Samakhom Pavilion in the Grand Palace from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday, October 26.
A Royal Funeral Committee, chaired by the prime minister, will oversee the arrangements. Members of the Royal Family will be respectfully invited to serve as advisors. Subcommittees will handle areas including:
Royal ceremony administration and management
Construction of the royal crematorium, chariot, and urn
Public relations and communications
Security and public safety
Daily recitations of Buddhist scriptures (Abhidhamma) will be held for 100 days, with civil servants assigned to attend.
A mourner holds a portrait of Thailand Queen Mother Sirikit in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Ministry Roles
The Ministry of Culture’s Fine Arts Department will supervise ceremony protocols and crematorium construction.
The Cabinet Secretariat will coordinate attendance rotations for Cabinet members during the recitations.
The Ministry of Interior and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will organize merit-making and public tribute activities.
The Public Relations Department will highlight the Queen Mother’s royal works, with the Foreign Ministry preparing English-language materials.
Nation in Mourning
Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, was revered for her tireless dedication to public welfare, cultural preservation, and royal development projects that improved lives across Thailand for more than seven decades.
“Her Majesty bestowed great royal grace upon our country and all of us throughout the 70 years she held the title of Queen Consort,” Anutin said. “We should honor her legacy with the deepest gratitude.”
A mourner holds a portrait of Thailand Queen Mother Sirikit in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday. She was 93.
The Royal Household Bureau said she died in a hospital in Bangkok. Since Oct. 17, she had been suffering from a blood infection but despite her medical team’s efforts, her conditions did not improve. She had been largely absent from public life in recent years due to declining health. Her husband, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died in October 2016.
Photos released by the palace for her 88th birthday showed her son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and other royals visiting the queen mother at Chulalongkorn Hospital, where she was receiving long-term care.
Although overshadowed by her late husband and her son, Sirikit was beloved and influential in her own right. Her portrait was displayed in homes, offices and public spaces across Thailand and her Aug. 12 birthday was celebrated as Mother’s Day. Her activities ranged from helping Cambodian refugees to saving some of the country’s once-lush forests from destruction.
FILE – Late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, right, and then Queen Sirikit attend the annual military parade to celebrate the king’s 79th birthday in Bangkok Dec. 2, 2006. Sirikit Kitiyakara, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. She was 93. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
Yet as the monarchy’s role in society was increasingly scrutinized during Thailand’s last decades of political turbulence, so too was the queen’s part in it. Stories circulated of her behind-the-scenes influence during upheaval marked by two military takeovers and several rounds of bloody street protests. And when she publicly attended the funeral of a protester killed during one clash with police, it for many marked her taking a side in the political schism.
Sirikit Kitiyakara was born into a rich, aristocratic family in Bangkok on Aug. 12, 1932, the year absolute monarchy was replaced by a constitutional system. Both of her parents were related to earlier kings of the current Chakri dynasty.
She attended schools in wartime Bangkok, the target of Allied air raids, and after World War II moved with her diplomat father to France where he served as ambassador.
At 16, she met Thailand’s newly crowned king in Paris, where she was studying music and languages. Their friendship blossomed after Bhumibol suffered a near-fatal car accident and she moved to Switzerland, where he was studying, to help care for him. The king courted her with poetry and composed a waltz titled, “I Dream of You.”
The pair married in 1950, and at a coronation ceremony later the same year both vowed to “reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese (Thai) people.”
FILE – Queen Sirikit and Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand, right, visit the new Thai brewery in Hartmannsdorf, Germany, April 10, 1997. Sirikit Kitiyakara, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. She was 93. (AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz, File )
The couple had four children: current King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and princesses Ubolratana, Sirindhorn and Chulabhorn.
During their early married life, the Thai royals crisscrossed the world as goodwill ambassadors and forged personal ties with world leaders.
But by the early 1970s, the king and queen were devoting most of their energies to Thailand’s domestic problems, including rural poverty, opium addiction in hill tribes and a communist insurgency.
Each year, the couple traveled around the countryside while also officiating at more than 500 royal, religious and state ceremonies.
The queen who was an impeccable dresser and avid shopper also relished climbing hills and entering squalid villages where older women called her “daughter.”
Thousands raised their problems to her, ranging from marital squabbles to serious diseases, and the queen and her assistants took up many personally.
FILE -Thailand’s Queen Sirikit tours the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, July 4, 2007. Sirikit Kitiyakara, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. She was 93. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze, File)
While some in Bangkok gossiped about her involvement in palace intrigues and her lavish lifestyle, her popularity in the countryside endured.
“Misunderstandings arise between people in rural areas and the rich, so-called civilized people in Bangkok. People in rural Thailand say they are neglected, and we try to fill that gap by staying with them in remote areas,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press in 1979.
Royal development projects were set up across Thailand, some of them initiated and directly supervised by the queen.
To increase income of poor rural families and preserve dying crafts, the queen in 1976 launched SUPPORT, a foundation which has trained thousands of villagers in silk-weaving, jewelry-making, painting, ceramics and other traditional crafts.
Sometimes dubbed the “Green Queen,” she also set up wildlife breeding centers, “open zoos,” and hatcheries to save endangered sea turtles. Her Forest Loves Water and Little House in the Forest projects sought to demonstrate the economic gains of preserving forest cover and water sources.
While royalty elsewhere had only ceremonial or symbolic roles, Queen Sirikit believed the monarchy was a vital institution in Thailand.
“There are some in the universities who think the monarchy is obsolete. But I think Thailand needs an understanding monarch,” she said in the 1979 interview. “At the call, ‘The king is coming,’ thousands will gather.
“The mere word king has something magic in it. It is wonderful.”
BANGKOK — The Bureau of the Royal Household announced Friday night that Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother passed away peacefully at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital at 9.21 p.m. on October 24, 2025. She was 93 years old.
The announcement stated: “Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother had been residing at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, since September 7, 2019. The medical team was monitoring various bodily systems.
During her stay, Her Majesty fell ill several times as doctors discovered abnormalities requiring continuous treatment.
Photo: Royal Household Bureau, August 12, 2019
Since October 17, 2025, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother fell ill from sepsis (bloodstream infection). Although the medical team provided treatment to the best of their ability, Her condition gradually deteriorated.
On Friday, October 24, 2025, at 21:21 hours, She passed away peacefully at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, at the age of 93.
His Majesty the King has issued a Royal Command for the Bureau of the Royal Household to arrange the Royal Funeral with the highest honors according to royal tradition. The Royal Body will lie in state at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace. His Majesty has graciously granted permission for members of the Royal Family and royal servants to observe mourning for a period of one year from the date of passing.”
From left to right, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, and Queen Sirikit appear at a balcony of Anantasamakom Throne Hall in Bangkok in 1999. Photo: Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP
A Life of Service and Dedication
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit was born on Friday, August 12, 1932, in Bangkok, just months after Thailand transitioned from absolute monarchy to constitutional democracy. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Nakkhatra Mangala Kitiyakara and Mom Luang Bua Kitiyakara. Her name “Sirikit,” meaning “Glory of Kitiyakara,” was bestowed by Queen Rambhai Barni, consort of King Rama VII.
Her early education began at Rajini School in 1936, but when World War II reached Thailand and Bangkok faced frequent air raids, she transferred to St. Francis Xavier Convent School on Samsen Road in 1940. There she studied piano and harbored dreams of becoming a renowned concert pianist.
After the war ended in 1946, her father was appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and the family relocated to London. She had just completed her third year of secondary school at St. Francis Xavier Convent. In England, she continued studying piano, English, and French with private tutors, preparing to audition for the prestigious Paris Conservatory.
Royal Romance
In 1948, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, then visiting automobile factories in Paris, became acquainted with her family. When the King was injured in a car accident in Switzerland and hospitalized, Mom Luang Bua regularly brought her daughters, Mom Rajawongse Sirikit and Mom Rajawongse Busba, to visit him during his recovery.
A year later, Queen Mother Sangwan requested Mom Rajawongse Sirikit’s hand in marriage on behalf of the King. A private engagement ceremony was held on July 19, 1949. She continued her studies until returning to Thailand for the cremation of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) in March 1950.
On April 28, 1950, the royal wedding ceremony took place at Srapathum Palace. King Rama IX elevated Mom Rajawongse Sirikit to Queen Sirikit. On May 5 of that year, during the King’s coronation ceremony, she was further elevated to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
King Rama IX and Queen Sirikit on their wedding day at Srapathum Palace, April 28, 1950.
The Royal Family
Their Majesties had four children: Princess Ubolratana, born in Lausanne, Switzerland; Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, now His Majesty King Rama X; Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn; and Princess Chulabhorn Walailak.
In 1956, when King Bhumibol entered the Buddhist monkhood following ancient royal tradition, Queen Sirikit served as Regent in his absence. Upon his return, he elevated her title to Queen Sirikit The Queen Consort, meaning “refuge of the people.” She became only the second Queen Consort in Thai history to hold this title, after Queen Sri Bajarindra during the reign of King Rama V, who served as regent when that monarch visited Europe.
The royal family: King Rama IX, Queen Sirikit, and their four children—Princess Ubolratana, Prince Vajiralongkorn, Princess Sirindhorn, and Princess Chulabhorn.
Legacy of Royal Projects
Throughout her life, Her Majesty carried out numerous royal duties both as Queen Consort of Thailand and as companion to King Rama IX, shouldering countless responsibilities and initiating new projects to help the Thai people and develop the nation.
Her royal projects have brought immense benefits to Thai citizens to this day, including forest conservation initiatives—about which she once said, “His Majesty is the water, I am the forest”—cultural preservation programs focusing on Thai silk and classical khon dance, and numerous other endeavors that transformed the lives of millions of Thais.
In 1976, the Thai government honored the Queen by declaring her birthday a national holiday. Her birthday continues to be celebrated on August 12 each year as a day of national significance.
Thailand now mourns the loss of a beloved Queen Mother who dedicated her life to serving the Thai people for more than seven decades.
