Myanmar to host Buddhist summit

Myanmar to host Buddhist summit

MYANMAR: More than 1,700 participants from over 20 countries have confirmed attendance at the fourth World Buddhist Summit to be held in the Myanmar capital in December, a semiofficial newspaper said on Sunday.

Official media earlier reported the conference was being held "to forge unity among Buddhist orders of the world, for the flourishing of Buddhism, and for Buddhist countries to make collective efforts in helping ensure a peaceful world."

The December meeting is being jointly organized by the Nenbutsushu Buddhist sect of Japan and Myanmar's Religious Affairs Ministry, the Myanmar Times said.

The ruling junta has spent lavishly to renovate the main venues for the summit, including the Kaya Aye pagoda and the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University.

According to the latest official figures, 89.2 percent of Myanmar's 53 million people adhere to Buddhism. --AP