The statement also congratulated His Majesty the King on the 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne and thanked HRH Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for presiding over Tuesday's opening ceremony.

Addressing the issue of Islamic violence, an Australian delegate stressed that Christian priests and Buddhist monks in his country were on amicable terms with Muslim clerics. Meanwhile, Phra Maha Phrom of Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) called on the government to tackle the roiling violence problem in the deep South by more efficient yet peaceful means. The summit, attended by more than 3,000 Buddhist monks and lay people from 23 countries, officially ended yesterday, but today and tomorrow participants will go on sightseeing trips around Bangkok and elsewhere.

In its communique, delegates also thanked members of a Japanese Buddhist sect for their donation towards renovating Nalanda University, a weather-beaten site in India believed to be one of the world's first universities built around the 5th century BC.

The communiqu? - signed jointly by Phra Animal Dharmmasakiyo from Nepal and Phra Rat Methaphorn, rector of Thailand's Mahamakut Buddhist University - announced that Japan has been selected as the venue for the international religious body's next conference.