Krabi monks cough up cash to repair road

KRABI: Monks and other locals in Krabi took it upon themselves yesterday to finally fix a road that had remained damaged for over a decade.

The Abbot of Suwan Thararam Temple, Luang Phor Prathuan Jitseelo, led a team of nine monks and locals in repairing the pot-holed road. The monks financed the operation by diving into their own pockets as well using money from the temple donation box, which amounted to a total of 30,000 baht.

It took them one day to fix an 800-meter stretch of Baan Khao Tang Road in the Krabi Noi sub-district.

“The road was riddled with potholes and a number of motorbike accidents have occurred on it – we couldn’t stand its condition anymore,” said Abbot Prathuan. “We had been asking local officials to fix the road for about 10 years but to no avail.”

“Now that we have repaired it, it is much safer for students, farmers and locals,” he said.

The director of the engineering division of the Krabi Noi Municipality, Suthep Buakaew, said his team had been planning to fix the road for quite a long time, but had been ‘waiting for the rain to stop’.

“We had already purchased the asphalt for the repairs but the rain just wouldn’t stop,” said Mr Suthep.

“We are, however, truly appreciative of the monks’ initiative and will take care of the rest of the road as soon as possible.”

— Kritsada Mueanhawong