Posted on 04/19/2007 6:21:41 AM PDT by Cornpone
A Buddhist group says it will gather a quarter of a million of the faithful at a mass rally on April 25 to pressure the Constitution Drafting Committee to declare Buddhism the official national religion in the new charter.
Phra Thepvisutthikavi of the Buddhism Protection Centre of Thailand (BPCT), said 200,000-300,000 Buddhists were expected to join the rally to monitor the deliberations of changes to the first draft by the CDC, to begin on April 26.
The monk denounced CDC chairman Prasong Soonsiri's remark that the charter writers would not include Buddhism as the state religion.
Maj-Gen Thongkhao Puangrodpan, deputy secretary-general of the BPCT, dismissed as groundless claims by the CDC chairman that political groups were behind his group's campaign, saying senior monks, not politicians, supported it.
Phra Mahachow Thassaneeyo, of Maha Chulalongkorn Buddhist University, said monks were not a political tool for any political parties. Buddhist groups and monks had the right to express their views.
He said the monks had tried to give reasons for the declaration of Buddhism as the national religion. They had no intention of creating divisions in society.
He defended the presence of Thai Rak Thai politician Suvit Khunkitti who made an appearance on the pro-declaration stage at the gathering on Tuesday.
The monk said the politician joined his group simply as a Buddhist follower. Phra Thamkittimethee, spokesman for the Sangha Council, said monks had the right to stage the planned rally.
National Buddhism Bureau director Chularat Boonyakorn said any such rally by monks did not reflect the Sangha Council's viewpoint.
The Constitution Drafting Assembly's (CDA) public hearing and referendum committee chairman Chirmsak Pinthong said Buddhism was considered the supreme institution and it would be inappropriate for the 35 charter writers to declare it as the national religion.
Justice permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanakul has warned all parties to think the issue through carefully.
He said that the CDC has yet to decide if the matter should be tackled and he personally wanted to hear what people made of it.
Shouldn't he be off sitting in a forest somewhere?
Egypt's highest spiritual leader has accepted an invitation to visit Thailand, Deputy Foreign Minister Sawanit Kongsiri said on Wednesday.
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