People in their tens of thousands attended a merit making ceremony this morning in Korat to pay tribute to the late King Narai the Great, founder of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thao Suranaree, the heroine of the province during the early reign of the Chakri Dynasty and to remember the victims of the mass shooting last weekend.

10,000 monks, from temples in Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Buri Ram and Surin provinces, chanted prayers to bless the province and received alms from lay people.

Some merit-makers told Thai PBS that they took part to bless Korat on its 364th anniversary and to pay tribute to the 30 people who were murdered last weekend.

The alms presentation to 10,000 monks was the second event of its kind, they said, and was jointly organized by the public and private sectors of Nakhon Ratchasima to instil a sense of unity and belonging among the residents of the province.