RUNGRAWEE C PINYORAT, BANGKOK: People across Thailand have started wearing pink shirts in tribute to their beloved 79-year-old king, who checked out of a hospital this week dressed in a blazer and a dress shirt of that colour.
For about two years, Thais have shown their respect for King Bhumibol Adulyadej by wearing yellow — the colour that in Buddhist tradition symbolises Monday, the day of the week the monarch was born.
Many Thais have donned yellow shirts every Monday since 2006, the year of Bhumibol's 60th anniversary on the throne. The tribute has continued this year to celebrate his 80th birthday on December 5.
But it looks like pink is about to become the new yellow in Thailand. Demand for pink T shirts is picking up.
Astrologers have determined pink to be an auspicious colour for the king's 80th year. A royal emblem, using pink among other colours, was specially designed for his birthday.
Bhumibol was released from a Bangkok hospital Wednesday after more than three weeks of treatment for what the palace described as weakness on the right side of his body and a colon infection.
The Commerce Ministry is preparing to produce 30,000 pink shirts in coming weeks to meet rising demand, said Yanyong Phuangrat, chief of the ministry's domestic trade department. The ministry has hired private companies to make the shirts, hoping to control the prices of the hotly desired items.
An initial batch of 10,000 pink shirts that went on sale in July has sold out.
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