No. 0425
Buddhists brave terror to mark holy day
Published on July 22, 2005
In an apparent show of defiance against the insurgency in the deep South, Buddhist residents of Narathiwat yesterday evening participated in wian thian ceremonies at temples across the Muslim-majority province.
Narathiwat Governor Pracha Tayrat said most Buddhist temples in the southern border province organised triple, clockwise circumambulations at 7pm to mark Asanha Puja Day yesterday.
Earlier this year, locals in the deep South held two similar vigil walks - to commemorate Visakha Puja and Makha Puja days - in daylight for security reasons in the violence-plagued provinces, where random attacks routinely take the lives of civilians.
Wat Khao Kong in Muang district saw the largest crowd of around 2,000 Buddhist Thais participating in the vigil walk there. A large number of people made merit by giving alms to monks throughout the province yesterday morning - the last occasion monks are allowed to receive alms until the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent, which begins today.
A total of 50 monks have relocated from monasteries elsewhere in the country to stay in 14 temples in 11 districts for the period of Lent at the initiative of Her Majesty the Queen to boost the morale of local Buddhists.
Phra Sunthorn Thammathada, a senior monk from Nong Khai, said he did not detect any palpable signs of danger, and that he was confident tight security measures by police and military personnel would protect monks like him during their stay in the troubled region.
Jaktham Thammasak, director of the Office of National Buddhism, said a large number of monks nationwide had applied for transfers to temples in the deep South, but that senior local monks had asked them not to come en masse.
A small number of monks staying in the three southernmost provinces had in turn asked for transfers elsewhere for fear of attacks against them by Muslim militants, he said.
Several monks have been killed since violence erupted in the deep South a year and a half ago.
Jaktham said enough monks had been willing to remain so that the average number of around 600 resident monks had not changed significantly. He said the morale of monks had remained reasonably stable too.
“Though I cannot tell you now whether morale here will improve any time soon,” he added.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/07/22/national/index.php?news=national_18113073.html
Buddhists brave terror to mark holy day
Published on July 22, 2005
In an apparent show of defiance against the insurgency in the deep South, Buddhist residents of Narathiwat yesterday evening participated in wian thian ceremonies at temples across the Muslim-majority province.
Narathiwat Governor Pracha Tayrat said most Buddhist temples in the southern border province organised triple, clockwise circumambulations at 7pm to mark Asanha Puja Day yesterday.
Earlier this year, locals in the deep South held two similar vigil walks - to commemorate Visakha Puja and Makha Puja days - in daylight for security reasons in the violence-plagued provinces, where random attacks routinely take the lives of civilians.
Wat Khao Kong in Muang district saw the largest crowd of around 2,000 Buddhist Thais participating in the vigil walk there. A large number of people made merit by giving alms to monks throughout the province yesterday morning - the last occasion monks are allowed to receive alms until the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent, which begins today.
A total of 50 monks have relocated from monasteries elsewhere in the country to stay in 14 temples in 11 districts for the period of Lent at the initiative of Her Majesty the Queen to boost the morale of local Buddhists.
Phra Sunthorn Thammathada, a senior monk from Nong Khai, said he did not detect any palpable signs of danger, and that he was confident tight security measures by police and military personnel would protect monks like him during their stay in the troubled region.
Jaktham Thammasak, director of the Office of National Buddhism, said a large number of monks nationwide had applied for transfers to temples in the deep South, but that senior local monks had asked them not to come en masse.
A small number of monks staying in the three southernmost provinces had in turn asked for transfers elsewhere for fear of attacks against them by Muslim militants, he said.
Several monks have been killed since violence erupted in the deep South a year and a half ago.
Jaktham said enough monks had been willing to remain so that the average number of around 600 resident monks had not changed significantly. He said the morale of monks had remained reasonably stable too.
“Though I cannot tell you now whether morale here will improve any time soon,” he added.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/07/22/national/index.php?news=national_18113073.html
posted by www.truyenthong.org at 4:23 CH
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