Presidents and sultans, village chiefs, office workers, noodle-sellers and monks were among the thousands who Thursday bade a final farewell to Malaysia's king, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.
The king, who died of heart failure Wednesday at the age of 75, was buried at the royal family's mausoleum in Klang near Kuala Lumpur at the end of a long day of formal pageantry. His burial was followed by a 75-gun salute.
The mourners included Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and visiting dignitaries including Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and Singapore President S.R. Nathan.
Mahathir, who is also aged 75, shed tears for the king he called a "good friend" as he walked a total of some 10 kilometres (six miles) alongside the coffin as it was paraded in the capital and in Klang.
Earlier, members of the public who had queued for hours held hands and bowed their heads as they circled the king's body as it lay in state in the main hall of the Istana Negara, or National Palace, in Kuala Lumpur.
The closed coffin lay under ceremonial guard on a raised platform in the centre of the hall, draped in the royal yellow standard of the king, known in Malay as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (He Who is Made Lord).
In one corner of the hall, the young widowed queen, Siti Aishah, 30, dressed in white, wept as thousands queued outside to bid farewell to their much-loved monarch.
In another corner, 12 Muslim scholars recited Koranic verses.
Pre-funeral prayers at the National Mosque were led by the Federal Territory Mufti Hashim Yahya and attended by royalty, Mahathir and cabinet members.
Most of Malaysia's 23 million people are Muslims, but there are significant minorities of ethnic Chinese and Indians, and all groups were represented among the mourners at the palace.
A Chinese man, Tau Fook Yuen, told AFP: "The king is part of our big family. I met the king at functions before. He was a very friendly person."
An Indian teacher, S. Sivakrisnan Sinniah, 38, said the king was an inspiration to the people and "symbolises national unity".
Village head Diang Mohamad Diang Makati, 42, said he had met the king during his visits to the villages. "His death is a big loss to all Malaysians."
After the lying-in-state, the coffin was pulled on a gun carriage by slow-marching soldiers to Merdeka (Independence) Square in the centre of Kuala Lumpur, where some 10,000 people had gathered.
The carriage was accompanied on foot by the widow, the prime minister and other leading mourners. After a military ceremony, the procession left for the family palace at Klang.
There, the king's eldest son, Tengku Idris Shah, was proclaimed the ninth Sultan of Selangor, taking the title from his father, but he does not become king.
The position of the king, who has mainly ceremonial powers, is rotated in a unique system among the traditional Malay rulers of nine states every five years.
Mahathir said Wednesday that a new king would be named within four weeks.
"A meeting of rulers will be held and they will then decide who will be the next Agong," Mahathir said.
Until then, the deputy, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, will act as Agong. Sultan Mizan, 39, was named Acting Yang di-Pertuan Agong during Sultan Salahuddin's illness.
Sultan Salahuddin, who was born on March 8, 1926, leaves 10 children from four marriages. He was crowned Malaysia's 11th king on September 23, 1999 -- KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
