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| Southeast Asia | |
| Bangkok shrine attacker is killed | |
| 2006-03-21 | |
| A Muslim man has been beaten to death in Thailand after attacking a Hindu shrine in the capital, Bangkok. The man - who was reported to suffer from mental health problems - was set upon after smashing a statue of the Hindu deity Brahma. Two men, reportedly cleaners at the shrine, have been charged with murder. The Erawan shrine, built 50 years ago, is a popular site with tourists and devotees, who pay musicians and dancers to celebrate wishes granted there. Police said that Thanakorn Pakdeepol, 27, broke into the shrine, which houses a four-faced statue of Brahma, early on Tuesday morning. He used a hammer to destroy the deity, before being attacked by several men. "After a scream from a street vendor shouting 'our father was destroyed', I saw three or four men arresting that man and beating him up," taxi driver Somyos Srikamsuk told Channel 3 television. "He was unconscious, but still alive when police got there." Pakdeepol's father told Reuters news agency that his son had been in and out of mental hospitals for the past decade. The family said they had no idea what made him do it. The shrine was built in 1956 to ward off bad luck from the nearby Erawan hotel, where the foundation stone had been laid on an inauspicious day. Thousands of Thais visit the shrine every day and return with gifts when they believe their wishes have been granted. Street vendors line the roads selling garlands and wooden elephants to be presented as offerings. After the attack on Tuesday it was hidden, covered by a white sheet. Brahma is worshipped by Hindus as the creator. People pray to him for everything from a new child to a lottery ticket. Local people say the incident is unlikely to provoke revenge attacks, as there are few incidences of religious intolerance in Bangkok, says the BBC's Chris Hogg in the Thai capital.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 I live in Bangkok, and I know the Erawan shrine very well. The reports are correct that the destroyed figure was of the Hindu "god" Brahma (which - by the way is the Hindu designation for the character known as "Abraham" in Jewish, Christian, and Moslem religious texts). What is not properly explained is that - based on the "come on in" inclusive approach that Thai Buddhists take toward other religions, this shrine was considered as a very important Buddhist shrine- indeed, the younger Thais (at least) refer to the figure (in English) as "the four headed Buddha". The official "spin" being given here in Bangkok is heavily pushing the "mentally ill" angle, and down-playing the "Muslim nut-case" angle. The two cleaners who wacked the perp were arrested - it will be interesting to see what becomes of them. Virtually every day down in Southern Thailand, armed Muslim thugs murder a handful of random victims - postmen, teachers, Buddhist monks, rubber plantation workers - on and on. It utterly amazes me that Thais haven't yet gone more broadly "medieval" on the miscreant population. This wacko just pushed the Thai Muslim population one step closer toward facing the wrath of unleashed Thai anger. |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2006-03-21 10:25 |
| #3 So sad, too bad and yes itn redundant. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-03-21 09:56 |
| #2 The man - who was reported to suffer from mental health problems... Way to be redundant. They said he was Muslim in the very first word of the story. (Anyone else find that both odd and refreshing?) |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-03-21 09:27 |
| #1 That's weird, I recall reading a similar story in a VS Naipaul book, happened in Malaysia way back, IIRC. Apparently, smashing infidel's idols (hindu or buddhist for Naipaul) does happen spontanously when muslim men are near by. I wonder why? |
| Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-03-21 08:40 |