BANGKOK (AP) – Thai doctors say the Supreme Patriarch, the head of the country’s Buddhist monks, has died. He was 100.
Chulalongkorn Hospital doctors say Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara (SOM-ded PRA YA-na-SUNG-WORN) died today from an infection in his blood vessels.
He was the 19th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand and led the nation’s monks since 1989.
The patriarch had battled health problems and had been hospitalized since 2002. He had undergone surgery earlier this month.
His inability to perform his duties in recent years has led to speculation about his successor. A senior Buddhist monk who worked on his behalf since 2004 also died this year.
Thailand is the world’s most heavily Buddhist country. More than 90 per cent of its 67 million people are members of the religion.
