The fourth World Buddhist Summit, expected to draw participants from more than 20 nations, will proceed as planned in Myanmar next month despite the withdrawal of its key sponsor, a Religious Affairs Ministry official said Sunday.
The conference of Buddhism's Theravada branch, scheduled to begin Dec. 9, had been jointly organized by the Nenbutsushu Buddhist sect of Japan and the ministry but the Japanese sponsors recently informed authorities they were pulling out, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It was not clear whether the cancellation was connected with the recent ouster of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who was actively involved in preparations for the summit and had close ties with the sect.
Myanmar's ruling military junta has spent lavishly to renovate the main venues for the summit, including the Kaa Aye pagoda and the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University. Preparations began in 2002.
According to earlier reports, some 3,000 participants had been expected, including 2,000 from Japan. But it was uncertain how many Japanese will attend given the pullout.
Tourism sources said Japanese participants have been canceling hotel reservations and other travel arrangements.
Scheduled to attend the conference are clergy and laymen from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Vietnam, Mongolia, Bangladesh, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Bhutan, Taiwan, Britain, the United States and Australia.
There has been no official announcement about the length of the meeting. Some say it will last three days while others say five days.
The first global conference of Buddhism's Theravada branch was held in Japan in 1998, the second in Thailand in 2000 and the third in Cambodia two years ago.