Former Thai Prime Minster Surayud Chulanont visited “Wat Wiweikaram” monastery, in Sangkhlaburi, near to the Thai-Burmese border today, where he paid his respects for the 100th birthday of a well-known Mon Buddhist monk, Rev. Uttama.

Surayud Chulanont arrived at around 2pm, where he opened the ceremony to commence the building of six small statues of Rev. Uttama. Nearly 2,000 Mon people in the area came to worship and make donations throughout the day.

The Thai authorities deployed dozens of police and military personnel to provide security for the former Prime Minister at the ceremony.

Surayud Chulanont is one of Abbot Rev.Uttama’s followers and believed that the revered monk protected him when he was in the military. Rev. Uttama passed away aged 96 on October 18, 2006.

During an interview conducted just after Rev.Uttama passed away in 2006, Surayud Chulanont told IMNA: “Luangphaw (Abbot) extended his kindness to me. Thais and Mons are not distant cousins, we have to take care of each other. Although Laungphaw is no longer in existence, I will continue to take care of the Mon people.”

The Deputy Provincial Governor from Kanchanaburi also attended the ceremony, along with many senior monks from Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Suphanburi and Nakhon Pathom Provinces.

The Mon people in Sangkhlaburi wore Mon traditional dress and performed traditional dancing in an exhibition of Mon culture at the ceremony.

The Mon community leaders in Sangkhlaburi told the people yesterday, including the children, to wear Mon traditional dress, in order to join the ceremony and welcome the former Prime Minister today.

Many Mon people in Sangkhlaburi closed their shops and restaurants as they joined the ceremony and some Mon youths who work in Bangkok even came back to their village to join the ceremony.

A monk facilitator expressed gratitude to Rev. Uttama, and said, “He was a kind person and built up a good Buddhist community in the border area. His kindness and passion still remain with all of us”.

Along with the building of Rev. Uttama’s 6 statues, his birthday ceremony will be held from March 10 to 14 for 5 days and nights. Various types of Mon cultural performances will entertain the people in the border area.

Mon and Burmese drama and dance performance groups have been arranged to entertain at night and Mon traditional boxing will be shown on day time.

Rev.Uttama migrated to Thailand in 1949 with 60 followers, trying to avoid the civil war in Burma. He had a strong spiritual influence over Mon, Karen and Thai people, and helped to establish Three Pagodas Pass, Sangkhlaburi.

Rev. Uttama was granted land from the Thai authorities to build a new village in 1984 as compensation after the old village that he established was destroyed by flooding from the Thong Pha Phum dam 27 years ago. The land controlled by Rev. Uttama is not for sale and anyone who wishes can build a home on it.

Sangkhlaburi town is well known as a safe-haven for the Mon community. Thai school authorities allow students to wear traditional Mon dress on Fridays and the students are even allowed to learn Mon language at school, which was added to the Thai curriculum in 2007.

Many students are bilingual, speaking both Mon and Thai, but elders worry that few know about Mon history or culture. The younger Mon generation recognize themselves as Thai-Mon.

“Whenever we recall the establishment of this community, we never forget his (Rev. Uttama’s) kindness and great passion. It is not easy for a great leader to be born again. He did everything for the safety, protection, education and health of the people”, explained Mi Sai who is a community leader in Sangkhlaburi.