A Cambodian monk and two nuns set themselves on fire in a suicide pact thought to bring them closer to Buddha, police said on Tuesday.
Three other monks nearby stabbed themselves repeatedly in the chest with vegetable cutting knives at the same time last Sunday and were in serious condition in the provincial hospital, police said.
Buddhist monk Seng Sona (16) and two nuns identified as Rouen (53) and Sath Thorn (38) sat in three washbasins filled with 30 litres of diesel fuel, each with their upper bodies tied to wooden posts in the meditation area of the temple compound, police said.
Someone poured another 10 litres of gasoline over their bodies before they lit themselves on fire with cigarette lighters in the Thmor Sar pagoda in southeastern Prey Veng province, police said.
”The day before the chief monk of the pagoda had a meeting with laymen and Buddhist monks and nuns,” said Chhim Sokhorn, provincial deputy police chief investigating the incident.
”He announced that anyone who trusted or believed in the Buddhist teachings and dared to sacrifice their bodies for Buddha would become gods when they die,” he said. ”They will become the children of Buddha.”
The three who died left behind a suicide note saying that they sacrificed themselves for Buddha and warning Buddhist practitioners ”not to laugh or condemn our act or you will be condemned by the Buddha,” police said.
The chief monk, who escaped during the incident and is still missing, also left behind a note saying that he would follow suit on October 6, the last and most important day of Cambodia’s annual two-week Pchum Ben ceremony.
During Pchum Ben, which scholars say evolved from the Buddha’s teachings, Cambodians around the country flock to the temples of their homelands to appease the souls of their dead ancestors with offerings.
Police expected the court to issue an arrest warrant on Wednesday for the chief monk, who they accused of provoking the suicides.
Police were also trying to persuade villagers in the area, many who believed the chief monk and were neither shocked nor horrified by the incident, not to follow suit. The mother of the 16-year-old monk told police that her son had reached Buddhahood, police said. – Sapa-DPA