KUALA LUMPUR: Crowds started building up as early as 7am to bid farewell to Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
They were seen congregating by the roadside along Jalan Parlimen, here, clad in traditional Batik wear whilst holding the Jalur Gemilang, eager to render their farewell to the much adored royal.
It is expected that 3,650 personnel from various ministries will make up the farewell team that will line the sidewalks of Jalan Parlimen.
Police presence is also heavy as they prepare to provide traffic controls to ensure the safety and security for the movement of the farewell team as well as the crowds attending.
Yesterday, City police chief Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid said the event would be held along Jalan Parlimen up to the Dato Onn roundabout.
He said the public could park their vehicles at the Perdana Botanical Garden, Padang Merbok, Dataran Merdeka and the multi-storey parking lot at Bukit Aman.
He also said the stretch of road (Jalan Parlimen to Dato Onn Roundabout) will be completely closed as early as 6am for the movement of the farewell team. Seven roads in the federal capital would be fully closed, and 13 roads would be closed in stages.
Meanwhile, Allaudeen said five roads in the capital will be temporarily closed tomorrow in conjunction with the installation ceremony for the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which will be held at Istana Negara.
He said the roads included Jalan Sultan Abdul Halim, Jalan Kuching, Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Damansara and Jalan Travers.
Allaudeen added that a total of 1,463 personnel had been deployed throughout the ceremony to ensure security and traffic control.
Al-Sultan Abdullah will end his five-year reign as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong today and will be replaced by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.