Well.. My personal viewpoint on this is still to take a back seat and allow the Govt to do their job while religion should do its own thing.. preach good and teach morales..

IF the buddhist in Bangkok are pushing for Buddhism to be nationalized. they should in fact speak with their actions.. i dun mean protests or rally or watever.. What i mean here is that they shd educate the young ones there and teach moral teachings to their yougn ones..

Religion is to teach a person to do good & bless others.. not to protest and rally and see bloodshed.

ED: I tink religion is liken to water.. Some like it distilled; Some like it sweet; Some like it bland. Whatever it is, take it whatever way you like. Water is only meant for quenching thirst & parched lips.

********************************************************************************

A FIERCE debate is raging in Thailand as to whether Buddhism should be declared the national religion as the kingdom pushes ahead with the drafting of a new Constitution.

So far, over 300,000 Thai Buddhists have signed a petition urging the Constitution drafting committee to make Buddhism the national religion and the figure is expected to go up to a million, according to one of the leaders pushing for the change.

Mr Phra Mahacho Thassaniyo of Maha Chulalongkorn Monks University, who led a demonstration in front of Parliament earlier this month, warned that many Buddhists would reject the draft Constitution in a referendum if their religion does not gain national status.

Monks from major Bangkok temples are spearheading the move and they are mobilising former members of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai faction for political support, said Buddhist monk Mettanando Bhikku in an exclusive interview with Today.

Dr Mettanando is against the move to institutionalise Buddhism because it will marginalise non-Buddhist Thais and may lead to a spike in violence in the redominantly Muslim provinces in southern Thailand.

Dr Mettanando's dealings with the drafting committee left him convinced that most members disagree with the call and will remain steadfast in their decision.

This, however, will bring about a turmoil in Bangkok and it could possibly lead to another coup.

"I think there will be political conflict in July and August when the Constitution is put to a vote - the first referendum of its kind in Thailand," said the 50-year-old Mettanando, who added that nationalist Buddhists may take to the capital's streets to lobby for change if their demands are not met.

He added: "The pro-Thaksin group will take this as an opportunity to destabilise the current government. The Constitution will then be totally overturned and there will be unrest on the streets."

Last September, the Thaksin government was replaced during a bloodless military coup and uncertainty has gripped the country since as the newly-appointed leaders flip-flop over economic and other policies.

"If Buddhism becomes institutionalised, then violence from the South will quickly move into Bangkok," said Dr Mettanando, who is also a special adviser to the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

The region has already witnessed over 2,000 deaths in the past 18 months due to the separatist insurgency.

Security analyst John Harrison, from the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, agrees that it will make the road to peace in southern Thailand even more elusive.

"Why would the militants want to negotiate with a government that is saying that their religion (Islam) is second class?" asked Dr Harrison.

Mr Abdus Sabur, Secretary-General of the Thai-based Asia Research Foundation, believes that such a move is detrimental to the country's relations with the Muslim world.

"If a particular community is perceived as oppressed, then their counterparts from the international community will gel in solidarity," he said.

Thai National Legislative Assembly member Gothom Arya said institutionalising Buddhism would make foreigners perceive Thailand negatively and stressed that a new Constitution would not solve the problems in Thailand.

If Buddhism is inscribed into the Constitution, it will make Thailand the fourth Asean nation to declare a national religion. Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam already recognise Islam as their state religion, while Myanmar officially acknowledged Buddhism under its 1974 Constitution.