Reconstruction of Tsunami-Devastated Temple Honoured During Parliamentary Visit

Parliamentary Secretary Deepak Obhrai concluded his ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Post Ministerial Conference program in Phuket, Thailand, this past July by visiting the Samnak Song Charoen Tam Temple in Kamala Sub-District, which has been reconstructed with Canadian assistance.
 
The temple is located on Kamala Beach, hit hard by the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004. The entire temple complex, consisting of a prayer hall and monks’ quarters, was engulfed by water to a depth of 10 metres. Most of the structures were entirely destroyed, and the monks escaped only by fleeing to higher ground behind the beach.

Parliamentary Secretary Obhrai was keen to see the progress that had taken place with Canadian support. He was met at the temple by the chairman of the Sub-District Office of Kamala, Jaroon Kopkoy, and the Chief Administrator, Kitkraisee Kiewwan, along with representatives from the local community.

Inside the restored prayer hall, Mr. Obhrai viewed an exhibit of the damage to the temple and the restoration process. This was followed by a ceremony with the abbot of the temple, Venerable Weera Kantawiro, who led a benediction and a ritual blessing with lustral water before presenting the Parliamentary Secretary with an image of the Buddha in a pose to ward off temptation.

Despite a torrential downpour, Mr. Obhrai continued to the small memorial park on the beachfront commemorating the victims of the 2004 tragedy. A wreath was laid at the foot of artist Udon Jiraksa’s commemorative sculpture “Mind Universe” on behalf of the Government of Canada.