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Rev. Uttama’ rules comes alive again in Mon culture community Thailand
Thu 15 Mar 2007,
IMNA, Loa Htaw
The Mon community in the Mon culture village Weangka, at a meeting last night approved Rev. Uttama’s rules once again following his death five months ago. The culture village is located in Sangkhlaburi Township, Kanchanaburi district, Thailand.
The rules are based on Buddhist law as well as the
Thai constitution. It includes a ban on narcotics
smuggling, use of narcotics, selling alcohol and
drinking, human trafficking and trafficking in sex
workers, gambling, and stealing in the community.
If someone breaks any of the rules in the community,
they must pay a fine or work for the community
especially for the first and second time. The third
time they have to leave the village.
The rules are aimed at helping the Mon people in
Sangkhlaburi to live peacefully without protection
from the Rev. Uttama since he has passed away.
“The rules are to protect us from the influence of
Thai authorities. If we are united and able to control
ourselves, no one will come and disturb us,” said the
new and young Mon abbot Rev. Mahasuchat. He is
currently taking the leading role to maintain and
develop the Mon community in the village.
The rules are by the people and for the people of the
community and they have vowed to abide by it after the
community religious leader and local authorities
announced the rules. People shout and raise both hands
to approve the rules at the meeting to set the rules.
Hundreds of people attended the meeting and one person
from each house participated in setting the rules.
The rules have not been set up for the first time. The
first time the rules were set was by Rev. Uttama and
that was about five decades ago. But since he was not
always based in Sangkhlaburi, the rules became
ineffective.
The deadline to start applying the rules is 10 days
from now. It is meant to give time to the people to be
ready for the rules to be applied that have been set
up,” said Nai Kyi Win, the secretary of the village.
“If people do not respect the rules, it becomes
meaningless. If the community is strong, we do not
have to influence the community. Solving our community
problems by ourselves is the best way. Outsiders do
not know the situation as the community does,” said
one Thai Army officer in the meeting.
Sangkhlaburi, Weangka Mon culture village was set up
by Rev.Uttama in 1956. He was well respected by Mon,
Karen ethnic people, the Thai royal families, senior
government and military officials.
Rev. Uttama was well known and provided a lot of
social support to the Thai government by establishing
schools, hospitals and clinics, and building bridges
and roads.
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