Thai government asks for action against overcharging temples

The Thai government has asked the country's leading Buddhist organisation to take action against temples refusing to perform funeral rituals for the poor.

The call came after the local media in the capital, Bangkok, reported the story of a fruit vendor who was turned away by a temple The Lad Prao templewhen she couldn't afford the fees for her father's funeral.

The BBC religious affairs correspondent says that the Thai government is engaged in a desperate public relations exercise to salvage the reputation of Buddhism after a series of scandals in recent years.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service