This change may be attributed to the ongoing international and regional situations where terrorism and violence still pose serious threats to international security, said Nantasarn Seesalab, head of the Thai delegation at the Waitangi Regional Interfaith Dialogue last week.

Last week, the 164 religious leaders from 15 countries issued a declaration at the end of a three-day meeting at Waitangi, urging all governments to include "education about religions" in the curriculum at all schools, including religious schools.

The Thai delegates, including representatives from major religions - Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Brahmin-Hindu and Sikh - also told the meeting of the country's effort to promote interfaith dialogue. The Advisory Council for Peace was established in March this year to provide advice to the government with a view to ending the violence in the three southern border provinces.

The interfaith dialogue, the third of its kind, was organised to promote better understanding among people of different faiths and cultures. The meeting ended with the statement calling for an action plan designed to reduce international conflicts and terrorism by increasing public understanding of the world's diverse religions.

It also called on the media to include guidelines for reporting on different religions in their voluntary codes of conduct, and suggested journalistic exchange programmes around the Asia-Pacific region.

However, the meeting was marred by a brief protest by around 800 followers of the Destiny Church. The minor but vocal religious group protested the reason for the meeting and did not want New Zealand's soil "defiled" with "foreign religions". The protesters also urged New Zealand to declare Christian-ity as the state religion.

Jeerawat Na Thalang,

The Nation