Buddha statues moved from abandoned temple in Yala
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Before unrest erupted and started raging across the deep South, the Buddha Chalerm Temple or Wat Hua Saphan in Yala used to be a centre of activity, with both Buddhists and Muslims taking part.
“The locals carried out activities at the temple and the local mosque,” a villager recalled fondly.
The Muslim man in his late 40s said he was sad that the good old days were gone.
“I still remember a kind old monk who lived here at the temple. When I was a young boy, I used to play in the grounds with my friends,” he said.
Today, the temple is empty. There are no monks or visitors and the temple grounds are covered in goat dung.
The last monk to stay here, Phra Sawat Khemwero, was shot at and injured while doing his morning alms round on December 18, 2010. The two soldiers by his side died of their injuries. After this, the monk decided to move.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, another Muslim resident said it was regrettable that the temple had been abandoned.
“We can’t do anything to maintain it because we are worried that some ill-intentioned people might get angry and burn it down. Also, some innocent people might become scapegoats,” the resident said.
He hopes that relevant authorities will step in and take care of the temple. “At least, the Buddha statues should be relocated to a proper place. The big brass bell has already been stolen,” he said.
Yesterday, soldiers from the 11th Yala Task Force moved the Buddha statues to another monastery.
