Aug 26, 2003

Buddist Monks deported to Burma


Thai Police arrested Buddhist monks at Bangkadee Thai Mon community for illegal entry to the Kingdom
Over thirty Mon monks including two political refugee monks were arrested and then disrobed by the Royal Thai police at Wat Bang Yar and Wat Sudhammavatee in Bang Khun Tein District of western Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand.

“They asked us to proof Thai ID cards or Household Registration List (Bai hta-bien barn),” a remaining monk who holds Thai ID card said. They arrested all other monks who could not proof the Thai nationality ID cards, he added.

Majority of Mon Buddhist monks were ordained by one of the most revered and senior monk Rev. Uttama, Abbot of Wat Viwekaram at Sangkhlaburi in Kanchanaburi Province. They hold monk ID cards issued by the Abbot for acknowledgement of his religious influence.

According to a close source to Rev. Uttama, detained monks are requested to return their original resident at Sangkhlaburi, Thai Burma border.

Sangha Association of Thailand and local police consented to the deportation of migrant monks without disrobing them. However, the Sangkha Police Task Force led by Wat Maha Htat, the official body of the Royal Thai Government, migrant monks are only allowed to reside at local temples where they originally live and they could not stay illegally in Thailand.

Thailand based Overseas Mon Nationals Students Organization urgently sent a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for protection of two detained refugee monks recognized by the Office as “Persons of concern”.

“They have the rights to stay here under the UNHCR’s protection because they are recognized by the Office,” Nonda Rarman, a spokeperson for the OMNSO said.

After the raid took place, other monks at Wat Prok in Yanawa district and Wat Mai Klong (7) in Lumlukka district also have prepared to return their original temples, the source from the monastery said.

According to the Buddhist principles, monks are obligated to stay only in their temples during three months of raining season and not allow to move or travel to other places. They are also obligated to exercise learning, teaching, preaching and meditating during these (Who/ Phan-Sar) months.

Former Abbot of Wat Sudhammavatee enthusiastically supported young monks to study both Thai and Mon literature and Buddhism in this temple. He established a private Printing Press for promoting and preserving Pali, Mon and Thai text in the last twenty years.

Mon migrant monks read and write both languages well for serving social and moral teaching to fellow men and women in their community.