Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies after more than three years in coma — palace statement

Thailand's Royal Palace said in an official statement that Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died on the evening of 11 June at Chulalongkorn Hospital. The princess suffered a heart attack during a convoy duty in December 2022 and had been in intensive care since. Palace physician General Ratchapong Pothisawat told a briefing that "the condition had been unstable and a clinical deterioration was observed in the last week."

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a statement that "the government has declared a year-long national mourning, flags at public institutions will be flown at half-mast and a 30-day official mourning period will be observed." Bangkok municipality requested major sports events be postponed and the Thailand Tourism Authority asked public celebrations not to be held. Direct economic impact for kingdom matters is seen as limited, though a temporary softening is expected in tourism.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) session closed at 12:30 local time; the SET index fell 0.6% to 1,412 points. The Thai baht weakened 0.4% against the dollar to 34.80. Citi analyst Niphon Boonyaprasiet wrote that "the mourning period could affect sectoral tourism revenue by 0.2 points in the fourth quarter." Not investment advice.