Karma: Thai man killed by Buddha statue during temple rampage

A Thai man, who attacked a monk at a temple in Chon Buri province, later died after the sharp head of a Buddha statue pierced his chest during a rampage in the temple’s main hall. Locals suggested that his death appeared to be the swift result of karma.

Residents in the Banbung district of Chon Buri province sought assistance from Banbung Police Station officers at about 1pm yesterday, February 27, after a Thai man, 49 year old Ek, went on a rampage and attacked a monk named Best.

According to residents, Ek was under the influence of methamphetamine, also known as Yaba. He and Best were friends, and Ek stayed with Best at the temple for a few days before the incident took place.

Officers arrived at the temple and discovered that Ek hid himself in the main hall. He locked all the doors and windows and destroyed Buddha statues inside the hall.

Police waited outside for safety reasons, suspecting Ek might have a weapon in his hands. They called Ek and told him to surrender to the police but, as there was no response, they decided to break down the door and enter.

To their shock, they saw Ek lying dead in a pool of blood. A statue of Buddha was lying on Ek’s chest and the sharp head of the statue was piercing his chest. A video of the operation showed police and locals shouting and screaming at the shocking incident.

Police suspect that Ek was trying to climb on top of the largest statue in the main hall to destroy it. However, he accidentally slipped off the large statue and fell onto the pointed head of a smaller statue. The head pierced Ek’s heart and lungs, killing him.

The monk, Best, confessed to the police that he took Yaba with his friend Ek and agreed to leave the monkhood for his misconduct.

Best explained that Ek took the drug and attacked him in the morning by hitting his arm with a fluorescent tube. He ran away from his accommodation to seek help from other monks, while Ek ran into the main hall and began destroying statues.