Relics picked from late king’s ashes

Sacred ritual: Vajiralongkorn sorting through the remains of his father the morning after he was cremated at the Royal Crematorium of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. — AFP

Bangkok: Thailand’s new king picked bits of bone and ash from his father’s remains to be enshrined as royal relics, after the cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej capped an extravagant funeral that brought the nation to a standstill.

The lighting of the funeral pyre late Thursday night, which was held out of view, closed the book on the 70-year reign of a monarch who was elevated to saint-like status.