http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/world/asia/thailand-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-death-cremation.html 2016-10-15 22:01:50 Thailand Says Bhumibol’s Cremation Is a Year Away, With Heir’s Coronation to Follow The crown prince has asked that King Bhumibol’s cremation be held after a one-year period of mourning, with his own coronation to come later, an official said. === BANGKOK — The cremation of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, 64, declined to be declared king immediately after his father’s death, saying he wanted to grieve along with the country. Officials have indicated that he will be proclaimed king whenever he is ready, with the coronation to take place later. King Bhumibol named him heir apparent in 1972. For now, Bhumibol, who became king in 1946, was the world’s longest-reigning monarch by the time of his death at 88, and he is credited with helping maintain Thailand’s stability and promoting its economic development. A delay in declaring Vajiralongkorn king could give the country time to adjust to the idea. While King Bhumibol was widely beloved, the prince has a reputation as Strict lèse-majesté laws, which prohibit insulting or defaming members of the royal family, have been interpreted broadly by the authorities and have long stifled public discussion of the succession in Thailand. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam told Thai reporters on Saturday that plans were being drawn up to construct a crematory for the immolation of the king’s remains. The prince has asked that the cremation be held after a one-year period of mourning, Mr. Wissanu said. There is no set schedule for the prince’s coronation, but Mr. Wissanu indicated that precedent calls for it to take place after the cremation. Thousands of mourners, most wearing black, gathered outside the Grand Palace for a second day Saturday to pay their respects to the king. His body was taken there in a ceremonial procession on Friday. Many Thais saw Bhumibol as a father figure and since his death have wept easily when speaking of him. That was true of Mr. Wissanu, who cried as he discussed the prince’s wish that his status remain unchanged for now. “The crown prince has asked the prime minister to keep everything the same, at least for the moment, as if the late king is still here,” Mr. Wissanu said. “Do not allow it to feel like the nation is empty and do not let everything become the past too soon.”