BANGKOK : A mentally ill Thai Muslim man has been beaten to death after destroying an important Hindu shrine in downtown Bangkok, police said Tuesday.
Thanakorn Pakdiphol, 27, used a hammer to smash apart a statue of the Hindu god Brahma at the popular Erawan Shrine in the heart of Bangkok's shopping district during the night, police said.
He was beaten by two roadsweepers who saw him attacking the shrine and died later in hospital, police said, adding that the pair have been charged with murder.
"Based on his medical records, he has been in and out of many hospitals being treated for mental illness," police Major Thanit Ratanopas said.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expressed his shock over the incident and vowed to rebuild the colourful shrine, which is revered by Buddhists and Hindus and draws large crowds of worshippers and onlookers every day.
"It should not have happened. It was the work of a mentally ill man. The culture ministry will renovate it," Thaksin told reporters in the northern province of Chiang Rai.
With Thailand in the grip of a political deadlock between Thaksin and opponents calling for his resignation, many interpreted the destruction of the shrine as a bad omen.
"It's a very powerful place here," said Aw Nitaya, who received a fragment of the statue from caretakers and planned to have it placed into a necklace.
"I think maybe something bad may happen," she said.
"This hurts the hearts of the Thai people," one office worker told AFP as he visited the closed shrine, where devotees prayed on the footpath and lit candles and incense sticks.
Acting Culture Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said after inspecting the shrine and meeting with fine arts experts that it would be restored within two months.
He said the government would help fund the repairs, which would include elevating the statue of the deity and installing a police guard to prevent future attacks.
The shrine was built in 1956 to protect the Erewan hotel next to it after an astrologer decided that the date on its foundation stone was not auspicious.
As well as the Buddhist devotees who come to offer flower garlands, light incense or release caged birds, the shrine attracts many foreign visitors who came to watch the spectacle and performances by classical Thai dancers. - AFP/ch
