Buddhist Communities Win 'Five Precepts Village' Awards

On Friday, July 10, 2026, Somdej Phra Maha Ratchmongkol Muni (Thongchai Thammacho), a member of the Supreme Sangha Council and senior abbot of the Central Region, chaired a project implementation meeting and presented honor plaques recognizing outstanding Five Precepts Villages for 2026 at the Buddhamamndal Auditorium.

Four villages were honored as national exemplars: Dong Khi Lek village in Ban Rai subdistrict, Damnoen Saduak district, Ratchaburi; Lak Mueang village in Si Thep subdistrict, Si Thep district, Phetchabun; Pong village in Bung Lert subdistrict, Roi Et; and Phang Palm village in Palm Phattana subdistrict, Manang district, Satun.

Somdej Phra Maha Ratchmongkol Muni emphasized that the project to promote harmony and unity through Buddhist teachings originated from the vision of the late Somdej Phra Maha Ratchmangkalacharya of Wat Pak Nam, a former Supreme Sangha Patriarch, in 2014. The project has three primary objectives: public welfare, national peace, and offering merit to the Thai royal family. Now in its twelfth year, the initiative promotes the Buddhist principles of precepts, meditation, and wisdom as a foundation for social harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Somdej Phra Thamvichirasunthon, abbot of Wat Kavisaram and acting chair of the central committee, stated that the Five Precepts Village project has been running since 2014 with strong support from the Buddhist Sangha and government agencies. He noted this represents one of the largest coordinated efforts in Thai Buddhist outreach and social welfare work. In the 2025 fiscal year, the project committee worked continuously across all 77 provinces to implement and monitor the program, ultimately selecting villages that demonstrated outstanding commitment to the Five Precepts as model villages worthy of public recognition.