Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over the royally sponsored cremation of former ambassador to the US Virachai Plasai, whose body was flown back to Bangkok on Tuesday night, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
Virachai's body arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on an All Nippon Airways flight at 11pm.
Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai, along with a guard of honour, were there to receive the body.
The funeral for the late ambassador will be held at Wat Makut Kasattriyaram in Bangkok. Water for the bathing rite, which takes place at 6pm on April 18, will be royally bestowed.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is to preside over the cremation ceremony at the temple at 5pm on April 25.
Virachai, a veteran diplomat best known for his role in the contentious Preah Vihear temple dispute with Cambodia, died at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on March 16 at age 58.
He had been appointed Thailand's ambassador to the United States in June last year.
On Monday, Boosara Kanchanalai, Chargé d'Affaires at the Thai embassy and other Thai diplomats in Washington D.C. attended a dignified transfer of the remains ceremony at Dulles International Airport.
Elizabeth Plasai, Virachai's wife, was also present and accompanied Virachai's remains on his final journey back to Thailand.
Sean Lawler, Chief of Protocol of the United States, and Patrick Murphy, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, represented the United States government at the ceremony.
Virachai came to prominence when he was named head of the Thai legal team in the dispute with Cambodia over ownership of the Preah Vihear temple. He led the team of foreign lawyers to deliver oral arguments in the case at the International Court of Justice.
