[Intl-tobacco] Thailand says cigarette top killer of Buddhist monks

[Robert Weissman]

Thailand says cigarette top killer of Buddhist monks
Source: AP, 2002-04-01, via tobacco.org
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020401/ap_wo_en_ge/thailand_smoking_monks_2

BANGKOK, Thailand - The government launched a campaign Monday to
encourage Buddhist monks to give up smoking as tobacco-related
diseases are the main cause of death among the clerics who are
supposed to lead simple lives free of vices.

Although there is no religious edict banning monks from smoking, the
practice goes against the moral values of Buddhism as monks are the
spiritual leaders of lay people, said Warabhorn Bhumisawasdi, the
director-general of the state Institute for Tobacco Consumption
Control.

At least half of Thailand's 300,000 monks are heavy smokers, she
said.

Teams of doctors and officials will meet with monks at temples
across the nation to warn them of the dangers of smoking, Warabhorn
said.

Statistics from the Priest General Hospital, which treats monks
only, showed that the number of monks who contracted smoking-related
diseases increased from 10,084 in 1997 to 18,775 in 2000 and was the
largest cause of deaths. The figure accounted for 93 percent of the
clerics who sought treatment at the hospital in 2000, she said.

Monks are required to lead a luxury-free life of celibacy and must
live on alms. However, many temples are awash with cash from
donations, which monks often use to lead a comfortable life.