Thieves fell Siamese rosewood trees at Maha Sarakham temple

By The Nation

 

 

Buddhist monks rang their temple bells early Saturday to rally villagers to help protect two Siamese rosewood trees in the temple’s compound in Maha Sarakham – but it was too late, as thieves had cut the both down.

 

Three monks living at Wat Ban Makham on Tambon Kaedam in Maha Sarakham’s Kae Dam district rang the bells at 3am when they heard thieves cutting trees in the temple grounds.

 

When some 30 villagers came to the temple, the two trees had been felled with a chainsaw. The thieves had managed to cut one of the trees into logs and fled the scene with the logs.

 

The temple abbot, Phra Anuwat Promchato, said an unknown number of thieves arrived in a pick-up truck and a car, and started cutting down the trees. The abbot said the trees were about 50 metres away from the monks’ living quarters.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30321507

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-07-23

Someone is definitely a sound sleeper.

4 hours ago, missoura said:

Someone is definitely a sound sleeper.

  Or a budding arboriculturalist.

Try that at a Shaolin temple.... dear monks, it is allowed to go kick some butt from time to time, as long as not done with anger. Maybe. Ringing bells ain't gonna cut it

How could you possibly fall those trees without someone hearing?

5 minutes ago, window said:

How could you possibly fall those trees without someone hearing?

I suspect the monks did hear, but thought "bor nen yang dawg" and turned over and went back to sleep.  Only when the trees were felled and one of them was sawn into logs and loaded on to the pick-up truck, which must have taken at least 20 mins, I'd imagine, did anyone have the foresight to get up, go to the bell tower and ring them. Of course, no monks have mobile phones and could not have possibly had the presence of mind to phone the cops about a robbery in progress, being such unmaterialistic individuals in Thailand, and thought they'd do it the old fashioned way - banging a piece of wood against a piece of brass. Which probably would have got very little response initially from the villagers, who are used to the temple bells going at 3 am-ish in any case, so said thieves were halfway to Lao border before cops turned up, no doubt. 

 

But can't be too surprised by such happenings. I once donated a bo tree (supposedly sacred tree under which Buddha found enlightenment) to a temple near Mahasarakham which was accepted, planted and started to grow nicely. I used to go to that temple for herbal saunas and turned up about 2 years later for a sauna to find the sacred bo tree had been cut down - supposedly at the orders of the abbot. Response by monks? "Bor ben nyang dawg". 

15 hours ago, plachon said:

Response by monks? "Bor ben nyang dawg". 

Which means?  If you're going to type Thai, at least type in Thai script so I can google it!  

7 hours ago, wealthychef said:

Which means?  If you're going to type Thai, at least type in Thai script so I can google it!  

One of the most common phrases in Lao - means "never mind" or "don't worry" - i.e. "mai pen rai" in Thai. Anyone who spends anytime at all in Isaan will hear it almost daily.