Thailand's acting Supreme Patriarch passes away

BANGKOK, August 10 (TNA) - Thailand's acting Supreme Patriarch, Somdej Phra Buddhacharn, also known as Somdej Kiew, passed away on Saturday morning from blood infection at the age of 85. Bangkok's Smitivej, in which 85-year-old revered Somdej Kiew was admitted for medical treatment, has publicly confirmed the death of the acting Supreme Patriarch, who was also the abbot of Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan Temple in the capital. A native of Thailand's southern Surat Thani Province, Somdej Kiew, or Somdej Phra Buddhacharn, had been appointed acting Supreme Patriarch since 2004, after Thailand's incumbent Supreme Patriarch, His Holiness Somdet Phra Yanasangvara fell ill and has been admitted to Bangkok's Chulalongkorn Hospital since 2002.(TNA)