Almost 5,000 people have joined the Volunteers for Dad group to provide services to mourners paying homage to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Grand Palace.
Thammasat University deputy rector Parinya Thewanarumitkul, who acts as director of Volunteers for Dad, said 4,867 people had joined the group in the five days since it was formed.
“We have enough volunteers now,” Parinya said.
He said about 1,900 people joined the group on Saturday, when an estimated 177,000 mourners gathered at Sanam Luang and areas around the Grand Palace to sing the Royal Anthem in honour of the late King.
The volunteers help to distribute food and drink, collect and sort garbage, provide a motorcycle shuttle service, and offer medical treatment.
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Thousands volunteer to clear rubbish as Thais mourn death of King Bhumibol
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According to Parinya, rubbish posed a major problem as there was as much as 200 tonnes, including 100,000 foam boxes a day.
He said there was a plan to reduce the amount of garbage, such as providing water-refuelling stations and using recyclable materials such as food boxes made of sugar-cane pulp.
He called on donors to stop bringing food boxes made of Styrofoam. He said the group also had a sufficient supply of bottled water. People can follow updates from the group via its Facebook account “Volunteers for Dad”.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Threedow Aphaiwongs, said at least 300 people had donated food yesterday, which was brought to 18 cooking stations.
She said an average of 80,000 people came to Sanam Luang every day, which resulted in 66 tonnes of garbage a day. The spokeswoman said that on Saturday the amount of garbage jumped to 175 tonnes.
She called on mourners to bring food containers to help to reduce the amount of garbage.
Deputy Bangkok Governor Wanwilai Promlakkano called on donors yesterday to bring dried food rather than fresh food.
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