The Sad Story of the Fa Wiang In Temple

A Symbol of Peace Taken over by an Army

By Autsadaporn Kamthai

Chiang Mai Mail September 18, 2004 (Vol. III, No. 38)

Fa Wiang In is the only temple in the country that is situated on such a very unique location. Erected on two hills, one in Thailand's Lak Taeng village, Wiang Haeng district, and the other belonging to Burma in eastern Shan State. Though situated on endangered geography, the temple had never faced any problems of land division or separation until recently.

　　　　　　　　　　
Nobody and no organizations ever asked the temple to separate into two sides of the two countries. There was no borderline at the temple so both Thai and Burmese people were able lo visit and worship at the temple and support the monks without any restrictions. Unfortunately, all these things have changed.

　　　　　　　　　　
The nightmare began on May 20, 2002. "I can remember well," said Phra Preecha Panyasaro, the monk who has been living at the temple for many years. "It was a war between the Burmese regime soldiers and the Shan State Army (SSA) along the borderline, which also included the temple area," said Phra Preecha. "The war took place for a month and ended when the SSA withdrew into the forest. But the Burmese soldiers did not go back into their state but seized half of the temple located on the Burmese side as their new camp."

　　　　　　　　　　
Today, they are still there, occupying what was once a temple, including deeply religious areas. They use the temple's buildings on that side including u-bosot chapel in Thai Yai style with its seven-tiered umbrella, the temple's school, 15 accommodation buildings and canteen and have damaged these buildings over time.

　　　　　　　　　　
"Although the temple and all monks is in danger and has become a buffer zone, monks still reside here as we fear that the another half of the temple will be seized by the Burmese troop as well," says Phra Preecha. "We didn't want our sacred Marachina pagoda, which many local people have faith in, to be destroyed or deteriorated by them so we didn't leave," continues the monk.

　　　　　　　　　　
The Burmese troops have also laid land mines to prevent people crossing to the temple on the Burmese side.

　　　　　　　　　　
The Fa Wiang In temple was built in 1968 to be a soul center for both Thai and Burmese Buddhists living along the borderline. The temple school was built to provide education for disadvantaged children, especially for those whose parents had been allegedly maltreated by the Burmese regime in Shan State and left Burma to live in Thailand.

　　　　　　　　　　
Zao Kornzung Chanasuek, a leader of the Shan State Army (SSA), helped restore the temple's main pagoda, Marachina, in 1968 when the temple was built.

　　　　　　　　　　
Zao Kornzung realized the value of the pagoda so he restored it by allowing a Burmese craftsman "Jantar", who resided in Shan State to complete the restoration. Thai Yai people named the new restored pagoda as "Gong Moo Laen Lin" (Laen Lin means border in Thai Yai dialect). Seven years later, Zao Kornzung decided to restore and extend the pagoda further.

For many Thai (and Burmese) Buddhists, it is distressing to see half of the temple, which contains many valuable arts and architecture to be seized by the troops and used without care. For me as a visitor, a temple being occupied by such troops and being allowed to deteriorate day by deeply hurt my heart and feeling. For all Buddhists in the world, we perceive by our awareness that a temp is the highest place that should be kept apart from any layman's businesses. It is a place to purify human hearts and it is a place that can give peace for all.

　　　　　　　　　　
But what has happened to Fa Wiang In temple? War can never be the best solution for any conflict and it cannot give anybody happiness. That a temple should be part of it is unthinkable.