Famous temple in Thailand running out of fuel for cremations

A famous Buddhist temple in Thailand is facing fuel woes, which may force it to stop cremation services.

The abbot of Wat Saman Rattanaram, Phra Ratchwachiraprachanart, told Bloomberg on Tuesday (March 17) that it has only about 200 litres of diesel in reserve.

The riverside temple is located in Chachoengsao province, about 90km east of the capital Bangkok, and is famous for its gigantic pink Ganesha statue.

On March 16, it took to Facebook to ask netizens to recommend local suppliers who still have diesel to sell, reported Bangkok Post.

"Please share the information. We need to stock up for cremation, but we cannot find any to buy," the post read.

In a follow-up post, the temple said it could purchase fuel from the petrol station only if it produced a death certificate, and there is a limit of 50 litres. Cremating a body typically requires 60 to 80 litres, it added.

The Middle East conflict has sparked fuel issues in Thailand as petrol stations reported long queues and fuel shortage because of panic buying.

Thai media outlet Top News quoted abbot Phra Ratchwachiraprachanart as saying that several petrol stations had refused to sell them diesel.

After the temple's woes gained public attention, a petrol station owner sold them 200 litres of fuel, he added.

The abbot explained that the fuel is also used for their rescue vehicles, including a fire truck and water tank, to help nearby villagers.

Wat Saman Rattanaram is not the only affected temple.

Wat Mahathat in the northeastern Nakhon Phanom province, a one hour flight from Bangkok, temporarily stopped offering cremation services on March 15 because of fuel shortages, media outlet The Nation reported.

The deputy abbot of Wat Mahathat reportedly said petrol stations had limited fuel purchases to 500 baht (S$20) per transaction and refused to fill fuel containers.

Thankfully, the temple was able to quickly reopen its crematorium after local authorities stepped in to assist.

"We are now accepting cremations as usual. No payment required," it announced in a Facebook post on March 16.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com