Black day for Thais in Hong Kong as news of king’s death sinks in
For ordinary workers in the city it was a day to shed tears, while those with business interests in the country worried about the economic and political consequences
In Kowloon City, known as Hong Kong’s “Little Thailand”, Thai-Chinese shopkeeper Veerarat Sae-Chan and her business partner, Jetsadaporn Kesarat, dressed in black and could not help but shed tears at the king’s death. They run a Thai grocery shop in South Wall Road.
Kesarat said: “I cry whenever I think about it, and whenever the television plays news about him.”
Even after living in Hong Kong for 26 years she said she was disheartened by the king’s death.
Several major business chambers in Hong Kong expressed confidence that the king’s death would not affect foreign business interests in Thailand, but some remained cautious about possible economic and political uncertainties.