April 26, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 08, 1428

BANGKOK, April 25: Hundreds of saffron-robed monks led nine elephants in a march on Thailand’s parliament on Wednesday, demanding that Buddhism be declared the kingdom's official religion.

The march came one day before the military-appointed drafters of Thailand's new constitution were set to meet at the parliament building.

“Our only demand is to have the clause ‘Buddhism is Thailand's national religion’ included in the new constitution. It's the opinion of the majority of Thais,” Tongkhao Phuangrodpang, a coordinator of 300 Buddhist advocacy groups, said.

Some 2,500 monks and their supporters had gathered outside the building by early afternoon, awaiting the arrival of the marching elephants.

Bangkok’s police had urged the monks not to bring the elephants into the city, for fear of causing traffic accidents or that the scorching heat would irritate the elephants and spark a rampage.

After the march began, police relented and allowed the monks to lead the elephants through the streets.

The military has appointed a panel to write a new charter for Thailand.

The draft made no mention of a national religion, but army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chalanont said on Wednesday that his government would consider the monks’ demands.

“There is room for discussion. The government will listen to people's opinions, and pass them to the Constitutional Drafting Committee,” said Surayud.

The junta has also said it would not object to naming Buddhism as the state religion. Some 95 per cent of Thais are Buddhist.

Critics of the proposal warn that naming a national religion could inflame tensions in the Muslim-majority south of Thailand.—AFP