Burning questions and the Lord's fiery love.

national | history and heritage | opinion/analysis Thursday August 24, 2006 19:56 by +

Suicide by dousing oneself in petrol is a relatively recent option.
Logically since refined petroleum has only been available to the mass population for a relatively short time. Just as long as Irish people have enjoyed the institution of the christian brothers they have been able to purchase parafin and diesel.

The first newspaper headline grabbing suicide with petrol was on October 5th 1963 in Saigon, a buddhist monk Quang Duc had had enough of the South Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dinh Diem.
His action was copied more times than anyone cares to remember.
In May 1966, 5 such suicides were recorded in just one week. a 17 year old girl followed a 19 year old girl who herself followed another monk.

The South Vietnamese government was unpopular, so the USA went in to sort it out.

Quang Duc started it all off in 1963. He was a buddhist. Apparantly they treat the little kiddies very badly.

Because they did nothing by half measures they also sorted out Noth vietnam as well, and Cambodia & Laois and made Thailand safe for hitch-hikers.

In the last 3 years the almost forgotten suicide ritual has popped up at World Trade conferences, (a South Korean farmer had enough with everyone including you) & of course Ecuadorian prisoners always on teh look out for headline grabbing publicity include self-dousing with petrol along with prison yard crucifixtions and sewing their lips together.

Obviously only big problems start this type of thing.

Ireland is new to this type of protest, and reportedly one has been aborted in the sleepy south riding of Tippereary in the market town of Roscrea, but traffic has been diverted nonetheless probably spoiling peoples' holidays.

Maybe we could ask the USA to sort out the Christian Brothers?