Final farewell

The ex-PM's body will be transported today to Wat Benchamabophit, where a bathing ceremony will be held from 3pm, with a portion of the bathing waters delivered from the palace at 5pm.

The hospital issued a brief announcement for the media with the family's permission.

Bumrungrad Hospital's medical director Dr Jamaree Chuapetrasophon told the press Samak had died at 8.48am.

He was 74 and had been in hospital since September 5 with fourth-stage liver cancer. As the patient's organs gradually shut down, the doctors could only provide supportive therapy, she explained.

The doctor noted that though most liver cancer patients usually lose consciousness as the disease spreads, Samak remained conscious and continued communicating with his family.

"He only started losing consciousness early yesterday," she said.

Pol Maj-General Wimol Pao-in, acting deputy city police chief, told journalists outside the hospital at 10am he had come to pay respects to Samak.

Wimol said he was very close to Samak and used to provide security for the former PM's residence in his capacity as Metropolitan Police Area 4 commander. Samak's death marked the loss of a leader and great politician, he said.

At 11.10am, Chaiyasith Puwapiromkwan, a former secretary when Samak was Bangkok governor, told reporters in a telephone interview the hospital had prepared his body to be moved at noon today to Wat Benchamabophit.

A private bathing ceremony, attended by family and close friends, was held yesterday with Samak dressed in the white uniform of a prime minister, he said, adding that details about the seven-day Abhidhamma ritual would be discussed by relatives today.

Chaiyasith said he grieved over Samak's passing because they had been through the thick and thin of politics together for 40 years.

"I have to accept that this day has arrived, because after he stepped down from the prime minister's position, he suffered from political attacks and his illness worsened quickly. I want people to remember his good deeds," he said.

According to Chaiyasith, Samak's relatives had no idea the end was near until the patient deliriously remarked about angels surrounding his hospital bed.

The former politician will always be remembered as one of the most colourful and controversial figures in Thai politics. He was also known for his sharp tongue and short temper. Apart from this, he was a celebrity cook, a newspaper columnist and owner, a Bangkok governor who won by a landslide, a multiple-term MP, and a Cabinet member who held many ministerial portfolios, including Interior, Transport and Agriculture.

After Samak was diagnosed with liver cancer, he went to Los Angeles on November 5 last year to seek treatment. He returned to Thailand on January 21 this year.