"The public are grateful for the Crown Prince's kindness," Gen Prayut said.
Gen Prayut also said a committee he will chair has been set up to oversee preparations for His Majesty the King's cremation.
A key vehicle in next year's cremation ceremony is the elaborate royal chariot, Phra Maha Phichai Ratcharot, currently on display at the National Museum. The chariot will carry the body and funeral urn of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol in a procession during the royal cremation ceremony which is expected to take place in about one year. TAWEECHAI TAWATPAKORN
Starting Saturday, the Ministry of Education will open three service centres where people coming from other provinces to pay respects to the body of His Majesty can get free food and drink, dye their clothes black and use toilets for free.
The three centres will be set up at Satriwithaya School, Wat Rajabopit School and Dusitaram Secondary School where free shuttle bus rides to Sanam Luang will also be provided.
Chaipreuk Sereerak, Education Ministry permanent secretary, said the ministry wants to relocate its current service centre at Sanam Luang to help the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration handle 200 tonnes of waste per day in the area.
"At present, thousands of food boxes and plastic bottles are left abandoned at Sanam Luang after visitors leave, posing a headache for city cleaners. Therefore, we want to help," Mr Chaipreuk said.
The ministry has also received complaints about the chemical smell from its free clothes-dyeing service at Sanam Luang, he added.
Mr Chaipreuk said the ministry's service centre at Sanam Luang can now support around 4,000 people a day, so he expected the new centres to be able to handle up to 5,000 a day.
"If our resources at all three centres are still not enough, we might set up one more at Wat Saket School," Mr Chaipreuk said.