Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has postponed his visit to Malaysia on Saturday to chair an urgent cabinet meeting at 10am for the royal funeral arrangements for Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother.
Her Majesty The Queen Mother passed away at 9.21pm on Friday at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, the Bureau of the Royal Household announced.
On Saturday morning, the Thai national flag at Government House in Bangkok was lowered to half-mast to mourn her passing.
Mr Anutin, also the interior minister, was scheduled to chair the cabinet meeting to assign responsibilities for the royal funeral rites. Initially, he was scheduled to fly to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday attend the 47th Asean Summit, which will take place from Sunday to Tuesday.
According to reports, the prime minister will postpone the trip to Sunday to participate in the signing of the Thai-Cambodia ceasefire deal, with US President Donald Trump in attendance.
Requests are underway to reschedule the signing, and if the United States cannot accommodate the change, Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow will be delegated to sign on Mr Anutin’s behalf.