Buddhist novice numbers fall in Cambodia

ABC Radio Australia, April 25, B.E.2553/A.D.2009 Year of the Ox
Courtesy KI Media

<<Cambodian Buddhist monks shave people heads for their being ordained at Wat Sorya Pormeas, Muk Kampoul district, Kandal province, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

 

Nearly 300 young Cambodian men and women have travelled to Muk Kampul district in Kandal province to be ordained as monks and nuns at a 10-day course on Buddhist teachings.

However, organisers say the numbers are far fewer than expected.

Kandal province surrounds, but does not include, the national capital of Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian Student Association says the novices will be taught how to be grateful to their parents, about the history of the Buddha, the value of Cambodian culture and social morals.

The Phnom Penh Post quotes the association as saying only about 40 women are attending.

Chhunn Noem, chief of the Cambodian Student Association based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, said the total number who made the trip, around 270, was far lower than the 500 he had anticipated.

"We only had a short time to promote this ceremony," he said.

A Cambodian boy and his mother walk as the boy holds a monk cloth for his being ordain at Wat Sorya Pormeas, Muk Kampoul district, Kandal province, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)