Buddhist monk cuts off penis, renounces refix

BANGKOK, Nov 23 (Reuters) A Thai Buddhist monk cut off his penis with a machete because he had an erection during meditation and declined to have it reattached, saying he had renounced all earthly cares, a doctor and a newspaper said.

The 35-year-old monk, whose name was withheld for privacy reasons, allowed medical staff at Maharaj hospital, 780 km south of Bangkok to dress his wound, but refused reattachment, hospital chief Prawing Euanontouch said yesterday.

''We cleaned up the wound, gave him some stitches, but he declined to have it reattached because he said had abandoned everything,'' Prawing told Reuters by telephone.

Prawing declined to comment on the monk's erection, which Bangkok-based Kom Chad Luk tabloid reported on its Web site.

REUTERS BDP VV0922