Sawt Falasteen - Thousands gather in Thai capital to mourn late princess

Princess Bajrakitiyabha, known as Princess Bha, died aged 47 on Thursday following an abdominal infection.

She had already spent more than three years in a coma due to a cardiac condition.

"When it comes to saying goodbye, it's not easy for us," mourner Donnapha Kladbupha, a 54-year-old English teacher and self-described royalist, told AFP.

The monarchy represented "unity" for Thai people during times of distress, she said.

Nearby, others queued for their turn to perform a Buddhist ritual of pouring holy water into a ceremonial bowl placed before a portrait of the princess.

"I'm sad that she passed away, especially when I saw her pictures as a child," another mourner, Nitikan Tephakham, 79, from the northeastern province of Roi Et, told AFP.

"When she was sick, I prayed for sacred beings to protect her and hoped for a miracle," she added.

- Strict protocol -

Thousands of mostly older mourners sat in sweltering temperatures along the 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) route from Chulalongkorn Hospital, where the princess had been treated, to the Grand Palace.

Her body arrived at the palace at around 5:00 pm (1000 GMT) in a solemn and orderly procession.

Police closed roads and traffic in parts of Bangkok's commercial centre ground to a halt as the royal motorcade passed, led by King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida.

Thailand's public broadcaster Thai PBS reported that the princess' body was carried in the same vehicle that had transported the body of her grandfather, King Bhumibol, following his death in October 2016.

"I feel sad, very sad, because Her Royal Highness was so beloved by the Thai people, well-known for what she had done and contributed," Pongsanguan Paranan, 63, told AFP.

The Thai government has yet to announce details of the funeral, but it has instructed state officials to wear black and ordered that flags be flown at half-mast for 15 days.

The proceedings were carried out under tight security and strict protocol, with attendants wearing formal attire, media access restricted and dozens of police officers standing guard.

Tourists at the palace grounds, one of Bangkok's most popular attractions, had to find workarounds.

"It's something quite unique that someone can be this much loved," Maria Marcais, a 22-year-old visitor from Canada, told AFP.

"It's profound," she said.

- Second death in months -

It is the second bereavement for the royal family in months, after Queen Sirikit, the king's mother, died in October at the age of 93.

Bajrakitiyabha was the only child of Vajiralongkorn's marriage to Princess Soamsawali.

A trained prosecutor and diplomat, she was educated in Britain, Thailand and the United States, and served for a time as ambassador to Austria.

The 73-year-old king, who has seven children from four marriages, has not announced his chosen heir, although succession rules favour men.

Strict rules govern what can and cannot be said about the Thai royal family, who are protected from criticism by lese-majeste laws that carry prison sentences of up to 15 years per charge.

I.Matar--SF-PST