Thai Muslim killed after smashing Hindu god image

BANGKOK: A mentally-ill Muslim smashed a landmark Hindu statue in central Bangkok, worshipped by people of many religions, and was then beaten to death, police said on Tuesday. Thanakorn Pakdeepol broke into the shrine housing the four-faced statue of Brahma, venerated by Hindus as the creator and to whom people prayed for anything from a child to winning the lottery, in the early hours of the morning, they said.

He then used a hammer to smash the statue, which has drawn tourists from around Asia to the shrine beside the five star Erawan hotel.

"After a scream from a street vendor shouting our father was destroyed, I saw three or four men arresting that man and beating him up," taxi driver Somyos Srikamsuk told Channel 3 television. "He was unconscious, but still alive when police got there." Two cleaners of the shrine were arrested and charged with murder, Police Colonel Supisan Pakdeenarunart told the television station.

Thanakorn, 27, had been in and out of mental hospitals over the past 10 years, said his father, Sayan.




Broken statue means bad omen....

T was the work of one disturbed man. But it's a sign of trouble ahead for the entire country.

[size=-2]The upper part of the statue was smashed, leaving just the base intact. --AFP[/size] That's what astrologers in Thailand are warning after a mentally-ill man destroyed a four-faced Brahma statue at the famous Erawan shrine in Bangkok with a hammer yesterday.

The man, Thanakorn Pakdeepol, 27, was immediately beaten to death by enraged passers-by in the upmarket shopping district around the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.

Thousands of worshippers of many religions from across Thailand and around the world flock to the statue every day to seek good fortune.

Astrologers interpreted the incident as an omen that tragedy would befall Thailand if the current political turmoil was not defused quickly.

'The incident portends that something bad will happen. If the upcoming general election goes ahead on 2 Apr, bad things will happen,' well-respected astrologer Surattaphong Suwannarat told The Nation newspaper.

Astrologer Pinyo Pongcharoen agreed with his assessment.

'The Brahma has four faces and now there are apparently four sides in the country: The government, the opposition parties, the People's Alliance For Democracy and poor-people demonstrators,' he told the paper.

He said that if these four groups would turn towards other, the country would be at peace again.

The vice-chairman of the Astrological Association of Thailand (ATT), Mr Wiwat Jareogsiri, said the statue had been linked to the country's horoscope.

'When the country's horoscope is not good, this affects many things. Now that the sacred Brahma statue is destroyed, the country's economy may suffer,' he said.

Another astrologer, Mr Samrit Klomkliang, said the fact that the destruction was carried out by a mentally-ill man who was then lynched to death was ominous.

'This is blood sacrifice,' he said.

He said it was a sign that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra should step down to avert bloodshed.

But AAT chairman Thanakorn Sinkasem dismissed talk of an omen, saying that the current turmoil was instead the result of the country's bad horoscope.

'If you notice, you will see that many monks have come out to join protests this year,' he said.

Mr Thanakorn believes the country will become embroiled in crisis as it marks its 224th year on 21 Apr, then improve after that.

Police major Thanit Ratanopas said the mentally-ill man was probably not fully aware of what he was doing.

'Based on his medical records, he was in and out of many hospitals with mental illness,' he said.

Two garbage collectors have been charged over his murder and more arrests are expected.

The shrine was built in 1956 to ward off bad luck during the construction of a hotel that has since been torn down.

It has long been a prime tourist destination and is also immensely popular with Thais - drivers take their hands off their steering wheels as they pass by to pay their respects.

Thailand's deputy prime minister Surakiart Sathirathai ordered the statue be rebuilt within two months using as many fragments of the original as possible. - Wire services.

 

Pity they can't rebuild the poor man they beat to death for their superstition!
It really does show that many regard a piece of metal as more valuable than human life. This is ignorance, nothing more.
A human being is worth more than any idol.

 

Right BBB
I think this is why the buddha and the prophet mohammed
forbade idolatory because people start animating inanimate objects
until it reaches a point where madness afflicts them and they start
hallucinating that it drinks milk and begin to suffer from other weird delusions
even going to the extent of killing people for stones and bricks

The question is who is crazier the crazy man who broke the statue or the millions who rever stones ?

 

I wonder about that stone in Mecca that Muslims bow towards. It seems to be a form of idolatry...

 

Yea thats ignorance, Ive also heard that some opponent in the world cup series was beaten up because the french didn't like him. Thats ignorance as well.

 

but then again, I would get pretty mad if you come into my house and destroy my Radha Krishna Statue. Killing a mentally ill person is obviously wrong, but they should not let any other guy go away without retribution. Ofcourse, they should not kill him, but they should penalise him under the law, possibly putting him in Jail.

 

Does penalising a mad man make any difference to him or us ?

 

That is indeed the question.

'Punishing' a person who is mentally ill is not going to help. It may help the moral hypocrites feel good about themslves and their tiny world, but not much else.

 

I'm surprised you can't see the difference. Football is an agressive and competitive thing, many associate themselves with it to simply have a chance to behave violently. In effect, it is a disease exported throghout the world by the British.
It's hardly the same as religion, which I always imagined to embody at it's core a philosophy of love, peace and harmony, where beatings to death by disgruntled fanatics would be out of the question.

 

I do not approve of any violence of this type, period...moronic, fanatic, and contrary to any standard of decency.


That being said, the recent Muslim anti-Hindu violence in India has no doubt raised tensions to the breaking point and I'm not surprised it happened.

 

You sir are a gentleman after my own heart.

 

And, I return the same to you.

 

Mr. BBB,
Isn't it great that you and I do not see things the same way?, which makes your claim that football is a chance for people to let themselves behave violently mean really nothng to me. Football however is a sport, and this is a fact.
So, people are so ignorant to beat others up over a sport, they also possess the capability to do the samething over religion, both actions are rooted in the same ignorance.

 

It is the government's responsibility to rehabilitate this man, I don't mean "put him in prison" when i say penalize, I guess I wasn't being clear, I apologize.
What I meant was , it is the government's responsibility to do what is just for the people. Don't you see that people who were practicing their religion had their right to do so violated when the man broke their idol? Did he know any better? - that is debatable because he is mentally ill , not mentally retarded. Next, why did he do this? a person who is mentally ill will have a reason for doing something, either schizophrenia, depression, bipolar unipolar whatever... there is a reason!. Or it could be just that he is violently disposed, it does not matter what it is, but they need to put him in the proper psychiatric institution and cure him and also console people by doing something about it. I guess nothing like that happened in this case, but there is still justice that needs to be done!- the government has now the responsibility to penalize those people who were involved in the murder of this man. It is not against Dharma to put these people in prison, who should have known better than to kill any man.

And the difference in helping him (if he was alive) is that he will be able to live a much happier life, and the difference to us in penalizing those murderers is that next time something like this happens, those people who are more disposed of doing harm to others, will fear law or fear justice and think twice before doing it.

 

jedi dear - of course you are right - this type of person should be committed to a secure mental hospital until qualified doctors agree it is safe to let them loose.

I didn't mean to say that they shouild just be left to wander the streets.
I have worked with mentally ill people in the past, and I can testify that they are amongst the most pitiable of human beings.

 

We use the kaba as a qiblah, a direction to face when we gather to pray, it has nothing to do with idolatry. The Quran says;

"It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing."

We do not pray to the stone, we do not worship it or the like, as the famous companioun and the second caliph (Umar) said;

"No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you."

If muslims arnt monotheistic, then who is?

 

Hare Krishna!

The great astrologers could very well be true in their predictions that bad days are ahead of Thailand and her people. It won't happen because the mentally-ill man broke the Brahma statue and enraged God will punish them.
It is Lord Brahma who will punish for the heinous and shameful crime of killing that poor man.

There is no way to atone for this crime. Instead of rebuilding the statue they should rather unconditionally apologize, reprimand strongly and send all the concerned people back to the KG and primary schools to learn the basics of humanity.

When shall we know and understand that if God resides in a piece of stone definitely He resides in a living form,too ?


Love,

Kumar.

 

"the best form to worship god is all form." - Neem Karoli Baba

These violent people could learn a lot from that quote... perhaps try worshiping each other, humanity, the animals, skies and trees, dance particles... all is one

 

no one worships it.

thank you.

 

Hare Krishna !

**********************************************************
"the best form to worship god is all form." - Neem Karoli Baba

These violent people could learn a lot from that quote... perhaps try worshiping each other, humanity, the animals, skies and trees, dance particles... all is one
......................From Ganja Prince
**********************************************************

Dear GP,

Yes, that is the whole truth. He is playing, in His Lila , everywhere in every form...animate or inanimate.

Love,

Kumar.