Forestry staff will miss their annual visitor

Forestry staff will miss their annual visitor

POST REPORTERS

The passing away of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana brought deep sorrow to forestry officials who take care of the Ueng Ngern villa, a retreat of the late princess at Huay Nam Dang National Park in Chiang Mai.

Suwit Kaewpiyarat, chief of Huay Nam Dang National Park, said the Princess often spent her annual retreat at the chalet-style villa, built by the Forestry Department in the compound of the national park in Mae Taeng district.

The Princess named the villa ''Ueng Ngern,'' an orchid native to the area that comes into full boom in January.

The Princess last visited the villa in January last year and stayed there for three days, said Mr Suwit.

Forestry staff and residents yesterday mourned the death of the Princess.

Mr Suwit said the Princess had commissioned another residence to be built in the national park near the Pong Dued hot springs, 35km from the popular Doi Kew Lom lookout.

Some of the Princess' belongings were moved into the residence but she never had a chance to visit the place.

Thousands of tourists at the Huay Nam Dang National Park yesterday queued to sign condolence books at the national park, said Mr Suwit.

In the North, more than 500 nursing students at Boromrajchonnanee nursing college in Chiang Mai observed a minute's silence in front of a large picture of the late Princess.

Angkhana Lawan, 19, a Haw-Shan nursing student and a scholarship recipient under the Princess' scholarship programme, said she felt gratitude to the Princess for helping needy students such as herself.

In Ayutthaya, elephants in the ancient kraal paid tribute to the late Princess in front of her image.

At more than 200 mosques in Satun, condolence books were brought out for the public to sign.

Across the country, national flags at government and state enterprise offices were flown at half-mast. They will stay that way for 15 days. Many people wore black to work.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, Thais and foreigners signed condolence books and paid tribute to the late Princess at the Thao Suranaree monument.