Temple told to 'tone it down', bell annoys luxury condo

The bell tower at Wat Sai and the high-rise twin-tower condominium that looms over it. (Photo by Pawat Laopaisarntaksin)

Monks at 300-year-old Wat Sai have been ordered to hit their bell more softly in the early hours, to avoid further disturbing the sleeping residents of a nearby, newly built, highrise condominium.

The "tone it down" instruction was conveyed in a letter sent by Bangkok's Bang Kholaem district office on Tuesday.

The abbot of the long-standing temple on Rama III Road was informed that people in the new condominium had complained about loud bell noises between 3am and 4am. So he should strike the bell more gently in future.

The condominium complex, the Star View Rama 3 , comprises two towers, of 44 and 54 floors, and looms over the old temple.

Representatives of the temple, which dates from the Ayutthaya period, explained that the monks there traditionally sounded its bell, in bursts, from 4am, and again from 6pm, during the three-month Buddhist Lent period. This marked the times for monks' routines. They had already lowered the sound after a nearby resident started to complain.

Phra Somjitto was quoted as saying that the resident had repeatedly complained. He finally advised her to file her complaint with local police, as he could not reach a compromise with her on the monks' longstanding tradition.

Local police subsequently visited the temple and the monks followed the police request to reduce the volume. The police visit preceded the letter from the Bang Kholaem district office. (continues below)

The temple abbot, Pra Athikan Preecha Punnalo, was quoted as saying that the developer of the condominium complex had sought permission for its construction from a former abbot, who gave his permission for the sake of the future condominium dwellers.

Activist lawyer Srisuwan Janya said such an intervention could be viewed as disrespect for a religion under the Criminal Code's Section 206, an offence that carries a jail term of 1-7 years and/or a fine of 2,000-14,000 baht.

The law was there to protect the feelings of believers, he said.

Actor Karoonpon "Petch" Tieansuwan posted a message on Instagram saying he was one of the residents of the Star View Rama 3 condominium site facing criticism on the temple bell issue. He wrote that only one person had phoned the temple, and had complained daily and also filed a complaint with the district office.

No one else at the condominium was annoyed by the temple's bell, he wrote.

The Oct 2 letter to the temple was written by Bang Kholaem assistant district chief Wantanee Sawangtrakul, who was acting district chief at the time.

On Thursday morning the new district chief, Anant Kaipan, assumed office. He immediately went to see the temple abbot to apologise for the letter. He then left the temple to attend a meeting.