Pomp, pageantry as Thailand rehearses late King’s funeral

BANGKOK: Gilded chariots, horses and columns of military men in bright costumes swept through Bangkok’s old quarter on Saturday in a final dress rehearsal for late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s funeral -- a meticulously-planned spectacle of devotion to a man known as the “soul of the nation.”

Steered by the Buddhist ritual, palace protocol and social hierarchy that underpin Thailand’s powerful monarchy, the elaborate cremation ceremony will befit a king who commanded a cult-like following during his 70-year reign.