Monks hired to make trouble: Chirmsak
National Legislative Assembly member General Preecha Rojanasen, right, argues with constitution drafter Chirmsak Pinthong, second from left, at Parliament yesterday.
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Constitution drafters and a National Legislative Assembly member got embroiled in an angry row yesterday over whether the new charter should adopt Buddhism as the national religion.
The row was triggered as the drafters were briefing reporters about trouble caused by groups of monks who had joined public hearings on the charter in the provinces. The monks allegedly dominated the public sessions with their push to get Buddhism confirmed as the state religion.General Preecha Rojanasen, an NLA member who backs the monks' proposal, walked into the press conference in a fury. He believed the drafters were explaining to the reporters why Buddhism should not be given the status of national religion. Preecha said a number of people had sent written appeals in favour of Buddhism as the national religion to an NLA panel he chaired. One of the drafters, Prinya Sirisakarn, said Preecha had missed the point, as the briefing was about a plot by monks to cause trouble in the public hearings. But Preecha still persisted with his argument. Another drafter, Chirmsak Pinthong, then lambasted Preecha, saying he should know that a political group had attempted to pressure the drafters to approve Buddhism as the national religion in the new charter. The group had mobilised men, including some monks, to cause trouble in every public hearing he organised, Chirmsak said. "I am collecting evidence to prove that the richest temple in Thailand hired those trouble-makers for Bt5,000 each," he said. Preecha told the drafters he would not accept anything other than the word "Buddhism" being written into the charter as the state religion. The Nation
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