T
herulesgoverningwhatandwhen
Thailand’s Buddhist monks eat are
strict. They must rely solely on alms
from the faithful and must consume
them before noon each day. Early each
morning they pour out of temples in
bright orange robes, ready to collect
offerings. They are not supposed to say
what they most like or be picky. Eager
believers often hand out rich meals or
sugary snacks in an effort to please.
Some monks also resort to sweet drinks
during the long afternoon fast. All this
has left many monks’ bellies as round
as their begging bowls. The National
Health Commission Office reckons that
about half of Thailand’s 349,000-odd
monks are either overweight or obese.
Almost two years ago a Health Char-
ter appeared, encouraging monks and
those who feed them to think more
about diet and exercise. Prayer and
meditation do not burn many calories,
but monks are not supposed to become
fitness freaks either. (In fact, they are
supposed to find a “middle way” in all
things between indulgence and self-
mortification.) Working out appropri-
ate physical activities, such as walking
and cleaning the temple, has been part
of the health push. For the past year the
Ministry of Public Health has also been
offering monks nutritional advice.
Jongjit Angkatavanich of Chu-
lalongkorn University is trying to help
monks shift weight. She has studied
their cholesterol levels and the preva-
lence of diabetes and other maladies
from which the portly suffer. One
useful tool she developed was a belt
monks could use to measure the
growth or contraction of their bellies.
She says that hospitals are being paired
with temples to keep an eye on the state
of health education within them. Book-
lets are also being distributed to those
who cook for monks, steering them
away from indulgent recipes and to-
wards brown rice and vegetables.
The country as a whole would bene-
fit from such tips. Thailand is one of the
plumpest places in Asia. According to
research published in 2017 by the Asian
Development Bank Institute, a think-
tank, 33% of men and 43% of women
are obese. The problem has grown as
the country has become richer. Of
course, it does not help that for many
foreigners and locals alike, a good Thai
meal is close to nirvana.The eight-fold chin
Buddhism in ThailandHeavy monks seek enlightenment34 Asia The EconomistNovember 9th 2019
F
or many Westerners, the cycle rick-
shaw (also known as the cyclo or pedi-
cab) is an iconically Asian form of tran-
sport. In fact, most Asian cities have long
since abandoned them (and a few Euro-
pean and North American cities have taken
them up). But in Bangladesh the cycle rick-
shaw is as popular as ever. In the capital,
Dhaka, rickshaws can be seen creaking
down almost every street. Dhaka’s admin-
istrators, however, would like to consign
its rickshaws to the past, too.
In July the city banned rickshaws on
three main roads. All of Dhaka will be “rick-
shaw-free” within two years, says Moham-
med Atiqul Islam, the mayor of the north-
ern half of the city. “Dhaka has a traffic
problem,” explains Dhrubo Alam of Dhaka
Transport Co-ordination Authority. “It is
one of the world’s most densely populated
cities, and most congested.” According to a
recent World Bank report, the average traf-
fic speed fell from 21km per hour in 2008 to
7km per hour last year. On current trends, it
will be faster to walk by 2035.
Sitting in traffic is not just annoying; it
is also wasteful. The World Bank estimates
that 3.2m working hours are lost each day,
at a cost of billions of dollars each year.
According to Mr Alam, slow-moving but
highly manoeuvrable vehicles like rick-
shaws are a big part of the problem. There
are between 600,000 and 1m of them in
Dhaka. They can change lanes or make u-
turns very abruptly. “That creates chaos,”
he says. Another reason to get rid of them,he adds, is that most are illegal. Only
around 80,000 of Dhaka’s are licensed. No
new licences have been granted since 1986.
For the city’s rickshaw-drivers such
concerns seem beside the point. “What am
I supposed to do?” asks Abdul Mubin, a 32-
year-old. “I have mouths to feed.” He and
thousands of other rickshaw-drivers went
on strike in protest against the proposed
ban in July. By blocking several big roads,
they exacerbated the jams across the city.
The drivers are not the only ones with
reason to worry. There are also hundreds of
thousands of rickshaw-owners (who rent
out the vehicles to drivers), makers, me-
chanics and spare-parts traders who rely
on the business for their livelihood.
Then there are Dhaka’s commuters,
who rely on rickshaws more than any other
form of transport. At least 40% of the 3.5m
trips that take place each day on Dhaka’s
streets are made by rickshaw. There is little
public transport. The city has only 8,000
public buses to cater to its 18m people.
Worse, they do not follow any timetable
and the drivers are often unlicensed. Last
year students took to the streets when rac-
ing buses, competing for passengers, hit
and killed two schoolchildren.
Buses will soon come under one regula-
tory authority, Mr Alam promises. The
routes will be “rationalised” to provide
“smooth service”. A metro system is also
under construction, though it will not ini-
tially be big or cheap enough to make much
of a dent in traffic. Meanwhile, the number
of private cars is rising fast. They will soon
undo all the benefits of banning rickshaws
and then some, Mr Alam says, if public
transport is not improved.
Mr Mubin says rickshaw-drivers are too
poor to strike again. He sees no redress. But
he finds the double standard galling: “Rich
people are buying cars and motorbikes. A
lot of them have more than one. How is
banning rickshaws going to help traffic?” 7DHAKA
The authorities plan to ban a popular
form of transportCycle rickshaws in BangladeshThree wheels v
four
Furious peddlers