Housekeeping
by Danny Fisher
In two recent posts–this one and this one–I wrote about the efforts of some Thai monks to have Buddhism named state religion in the impending constitution from leaders of the recent coup. Although those charged with drafting the new constitution have rejected this call (for what seem to me to be well thought out reasons), the monks have persisted. Reuters reports today:
- Around 5,000 Buddhist monks and religious activists blocked traffic in front of Thailand’s parliament on Monday, demanding Buddhism be declared the national religion in the new, post-coup constitution.
The protesters staged a one-day hunger strike to press the 100 members of the Constitutional Drafting Council, set up after the coup that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister last September, to give Buddhism special official status.
[...]
Writers of the new charter, which will replace the 1997 “People’s Constitution” torn up by the coup leaders, have previously rejected the demand, saying it would widen religious rifts especially in the violence-torn Muslim-majority far south.
In April, the same group of protesters accompanied by nine elephants braved scorching heat to march 30 km (18 miles) from the capital’s western suburbs to parliament.
[...]
Last Friday, around 10,000 supporters of Thaksin’s ousted administration rallied in front of Bangkok’s golden-spired Grand Palace before marching to the army’s headquarters to call for army chief and coup supremo Sonthi Boonyaratglin to step down.
Sonthi rejected their demand.
I will keep you posted on further developments.
While we’re on the subject of Thailand… A couple months back, I posted on Religion & Ethics Newsweekly‘s feature about Prabhat Namphu monastery in central Lopburi Province, Thailand. The temple functions as a Theravāda Buddhist monastery, AIDS hospice, and education center.
UNICEF recently produced a piece about the important role that Cambodian Buddhist monks are playing in fighting the AIDS epidemic in Southeast Asia.
- Approximately 170,000 adults and children are infected with HIV in Cambodia.
Through the Buddhist Leadership Initiative, UNICEF works closely with the government and international partners to train monks to support the special needs of people affected by HIV and to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in communities.
“Buddhist monks play an important role to decrease stigma and discrimination against families living with HIV/AIDS,” said the head of UNICEF Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Section, Haritiana Rakotomamonjy. “Monks provide spiritual and psychological support to families and children affected by HIV/AIDS. They also help mobilize community support to make sure that those children are able to come to their monthly medical visit.”
Please check out the story for more information about the incredible work that the Cambodian Buddhist community is doing with UNICEF’s help. For more information about the global AIDS epidemic, please also check out my vodcast on the subject.
Speaking of Cambodian Buddhism, the News-Times of Danbury, CT, recently ran a piece about the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut. In April, I posted about the organization’s struggles to build a temple in Newton and the contributions of Yale University Buddhist chaplain Bruce Blair to their cause.
There’s not much new information in the article, although it does mention that the state’s Supreme Court is expected to rule on the temple’s construction within the “coming weeks.”
I think that’s all for now. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for new vodcasts and podcasts in the coming days.
