The Thai community in Los Angeles on Monday held a Buddhist funeral for the two Thai students who are presumed dead, three weeks after their car fell off the highway leading to King Canyons National Park. The high current has kept American authorities from recovering their bodies.
Three Buddhist monks were invited to Route 180 highway, at the spot Thiwadee “Min” Saengsuriyarit and Pakkaphol “Golf” Chairattanasongporn are presumed to have driven off the 150-meter-high cliff on July 26.
Under the protection of local authorities, the funeral attendees placed flowers along the highway. They also put two colorful teddy bears wearing Thai flag ribbons on the roadside — they held signs reading “Rest in peace,” followed by the Thai students’ names.
On the same day, members of the Thai community traveled to the office of the Fresno County Sheriff, the officials responsible for the recovery of the Thai students’ car. The Thai representatives offered moral support and gave flowers to the officials, Siam Town US reported.
It was unclear if the families of the Thai students were present, but they reportedly met with officials and held religious ceremonies for their children earlier on Friday at Wat Thai Los Angeles.
The Royal Thai Consulate in Los Angeles wrote in a Monday statement that the families expressed deep appreciation to the Thai community in Los Angeles for visiting the crash site, paying respects, and performing religious rites for the two students. The families also appreciated the moral support shown by the Thai community to Supervisor Nathan Magsig, Sheriff-Coroner Margaret Mimms, the search and rescue unit, and all authorities concerned.
The lowest current recorded in the Kings River yesterday was 550 cubic feet per second. The rescue team will assess the safety of recovering the vehicle when the current lowers to 400.
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