Anutin accompanied by Ja Thananon, both wearing Buriram blue shirts, along with Nevin, Adul, Permpoon, and Saksayam, together with government agencies, the private sector, citizens, and tourists participated in the ceremony to raise 364 nine-tiered chatras around the King Rama I Monument, restoring them to their original positions after they had been lowered for the public and tourists to apply gold leaf, enhancing auspiciousness during the New Year. Anutin specifically chose to raise chatra number 37 back to its place and apply gold leaf.
At 11:58 a.m. on 1 January 2026, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, wearing a Buriram blue shirt, accompanied by Ms. Thananon Niramith, known as Ja, his wife; Mr. Nevin Chidchob, chairman of Buriram United Football Club; Lieutenant General Adul Boonthamcharoen, Deputy Minister of Defense; Police General Permpoon Chidchob, former Minister of Education; Mr. Saksayam Chidchob, former Minister of Transport; Mr. Narucha Kosasivilai, Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration; Mr. Chaiwat Juntirapong, advisor to the Prime Minister (Anutin Charnvirakul); Mr. Piya Pichnam, Governor of Buriram; heads of government agencies; politicians; members of the Bhumjaithai Party; merchants; citizens; and tourists gathered for the event.
They collectively participated in the ceremony to raise 364 nine-tiered chatras back to their original positions atop the chatras. Earlier, on 29 December 2025, a ceremony was held to lower them for the public and tourists to apply gold leaf on both the chatras and their bases, to bring auspiciousness at the end of the year and welcome the New Year. This ceremony, called the Golden Leaf Sky Opening, honored King Rama I and paid respects at the King Rama I Monument, also known as the Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great Monument or Circle R.1, located in Isan Subdistrict, Mueang District, Buriram Province.
Government agencies, the private sector, and the people of Buriram Province jointly organized the event to express loyalty and to remember the great benevolence of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great, Rama I, who united people to establish the town of Pae, now Buriram, and developed it into a prosperous city that later became the present-day Buriram Province.
During the ceremony, Anutin and his group presented floral garlands in homage at the statue of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great, Rama I. They then lit incense and candles to worship the Triple Gem while monks chanted the Chayanto. After the gold-leafed chatras were ready, Anutin and his group installed them atop the left front side of the King Rama I Monument.
Afterwards, Anutin and Ja Thananon approached chatra number 37 of the 364 chatras, lifted its top piece and placed it on both Ja’s and his own heads, then reinstated the top piece onto the nine-tiered chatra of number 37. They applied gold leaf on the number 37 and on the base of the chatra. Following the ceremony, Anutin, Nevin, Police General Permpoon, and Saksayam took photographs together in front of the King Rama I Monument before departing.
The King Rama I Monument in Buriram Province was constructed beginning in 1996 and completed in 1999. At that time, King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, Rama IX, graciously appointed Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, now King Rama X, then holding the title of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, to represent him in presiding over the monument's inauguration.
This site has become a memorial to collectively honor the great benevolence of King Rama I and remains a spiritual center for the people of Buriram. In 2021, Buriram Province undertook landscape improvements around the monument, Chalerm Phrakiat Park, and surrounding areas to enhance beauty and dignity. These efforts honor King Rama I, the founder of the Chakri Dynasty and Buriram city, expressing loyalty and providing a place for citizens and tourists to pay respects, seek blessings, and hold royal commemoration events. It serves as a symbol of unity, pride, and contributes to local historical education and tourism promotion in Buriram.