ZCZC
BSP-06
THAILAND-VICHAI-FOOTBALL-LEICESTER-FUNERAL
Funeral to be held for Leicester City’s Thai owner Vichai
BANGKOK, Nov 3, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The elaborate funeral of Leicester City’s
Thai owner and duty-free mogul Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was set to begin at a
Buddhist temple in Bangkok Saturday, with members of Thailand’s elite
expected to pay tribute to the well-connected billionaire.
Vichai, 60, and four other people died in a horrific helicopter accident
moments after they departed the club’s pitch a week ago, bringing an abrupt
end to the fairytale life of Thailand’s fifth-richest man.
He rose from having a single store in Bangkok to owning the duty-free King
Power empire, whose shops are ubiquitous in Thailand’s tourist-heavy
airports.
Using the profits from his monopoly Vichai snagged Leicester City and
helped turn it from an unremarkable English club to a shock winner of the
Premier League title in 2016.
Thais were stunned by the tragic demise of a man known mainly for one
business success after another but who owed much of his ascent to canny
navigation of Thailand’s unpredictable politics and elite society.
That included the monarchy, links reflected in the name of his company and
the former king’s act of royally bestowing on Vichai a surname that
translates to “auspicious and prosperous light”.
Vichai’s body was flown back to Thailand and taken to Wat Thepsirin on
Friday where prominent individuals close to the family wore black for a
private gathering ahead of the official ceremony which starts Saturday
evening and lasts until November 9.
– ‘Honour his name’ –
The ceremony will have regal touches, with an octagonal urn among the
items given by the monarchy and court musicians playing drums and flutes
during royally-sponsored bathing rites.
Buddhist monks will recite prayers from religious texts and afterwards the
body will be kept for 100 days before a cremation but a date has not been
set.
Members of the Leicester team including coach Claude Puel are due to fly
to Thailand to pay their respects after an afternoon away match against
Cardiff City Saturday. “We all spoke about … wanting to play, it’s what
Vichai would’ve wanted and that’s what we are going to do,” striker Jamie
Vardy told Sky Sports, adding that they would “honour his name” with their
performance.
Vardy, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and captain Wes Morgan, are expected
to travel along with Puel and senior staff. Vichai leaves behind a wife and
four children, two sons and two daughters.
All five are on the executive board of King Power, which faces an
uncertain future.
In the first public reaction from the family, Vichai’s youngest son
Aiyawatt — better known by his nickname “Top” — said in an Instagram post
this week that his father had “left me with a legacy to continue and I will
do everything I can to carry on his big vision and dreams.”
The four other crash victims were identified by British police as Nursara
Suknamai — an actress and a runner-up in Miss Thailand Universe in 2005 —
and Kaveporn Punpare, both members of Vichai’s staff, pilot Eric Swaffer and
passenger Izabela Roza Lechowicz.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1308 hrs