Thousands of Buddhist Monks Pray for Peace

As many as 300,000 Buddhist monks and devotees gathered at 32,000 temples across Thailand to pray for world peace in the wake of the attacks on the U.S. and strikes on Afghanistan, officials said.

In Bangkok, 400 monks in saffron robes chanted late into the night in the glittering Temple of the Emerald Buddha, while 400 female followers in white robes encircled the temple. Similar religious services were held across the country.

“Monks pray for everybody in the world, for the happiness, the prosperity, for the peace,” said Smarnjit Piromruen, head of Thailand’s Department of Religious Affairs.

Predominantly Buddhist Thailand is not directly involved in the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan, but Bangkok has allowed U.S. aircraft to use the Utapao base in eastern Thailand for logistical purposes.