Thai Buddhist leaders pray for poached elephants, call for end to ivory use

WWF, 9 March 2013

Bangkok, Thailand -- As world governments meet here to discuss global wildlife trade, revered Thai Buddhist leaders today held the first-ever Buddhist merit-making ceremony to pray for the tens of thousands of elephants poached annually. They also called on their congregations and other temples to reject the use and trade of ivory.

Buddhist monks say words against the Letpadaungtaung final report

ElevenMyanmar.com, 14 March 2013

Yangon, Myanmar -- Buddhist monks injured in the violent crackdown at the Letpadaungtaung copper mine protest expressed their disagreement over an official report that suggested that the project to continue.

Celebrating Buddhist culture

VietNamNet Bridge, Feb 26, 2013

Hanoi, Vietnam -- Much of Viet Nam’s most famous, traditional and valued cultural heritage has been provided or inspired by Buddhism, a religion which has for centuries been deeply embedded in the national psyche.

Cambodia’s Buddhist Monks Seek Peace

by Omar Havana, The Jakarta Post, February 20, 2013

Siem Reap, Cambodia -- At first glance, the life of a Cambodian Buddhist monk does not differ much from the life of an ordinary person. They sleep, eat, shower, talk, and laugh just like anyone else.

Thailand's female monks (cautiously) lobby for legal recognition

By Amy Lieberman, CSM, September 8, 2011

A quiet campaign to grant female monks legal recognition began this summer. Advocates hope that the minimal fanfare will help the 'Bhikkhunis' evade conservative religious opposition.

BANGKOK, THAILAND -- Dhammananda Bhikkhuni grips a wobbly stack of feminine hygiene products and sorts them on a long table. Her followers watch before mimicking her quick movements.

Indonesia Islam leaders stir row over 'Buddhist' Chinese New Year

AFP, 10 February, 2013

Jakarta, Indonesia -- As Indonesia and other countries with Chinese diasporas welcome the Year of the Snake, some Islamic leaders have ignited a religious row by declaring the celebrations “haram” and off limits for Muslims.

Buddhists Leaving Bangladesh Welcomed in West Burma

By NYEIN NYEIN / THE IRRAWADDY| February 1, 2013

Arakan, Myanmar -- After a year that saw Buddhist and Muslim communities in Burma’s Arakan State engage in numerous bloody clashes, the state government has now taken the step of welcoming Buddhist Arakanese from neighboring Bangladesh. But it is resettling them in violence-wracked northern parts of the state.

The Crisis in Thai Buddhism

By COD SATRUSAYANG, ASIA SENTINEL, February 4, 2013

BANGKOK, Thailand -- If Thai Buddhism has been corrupted and lost its way, as critics are alleging, you would never know it by talking to Mod and her friends, whose devotion keeps them making merit and seeking solace at Wat Tha Mai, one of Bangkok’s scores of Buddhist temples, every weekend.

Bangladeshi Buddhist families resettle to Arakan state

KALADAN PRESS, 18 JANUARY 2013

Maungdaw, Myanmar -- Bangladeshi Buddhist families have resettled to Karayni Natala village in Maungdaw south, Arakan state, according to one Maungdaw officer.

Vietnam’s Buddhist response to disaster

IRIN, Jan 16, 2013

HANOI/HUE, Vietnam -- Buddhist monks, nuns and their followers have long contributed to Vietnam’s disaster relief efforts. Sometimes equipped with canoes filled with instant noodles, woollen hats and psychosocial counsellors, this local cadre may lack standard operating procedures, but it constitutes a largely undocumented and significant disaster relief system running parallel to governmental efforts.