1.
People in boat towards floating island
4 ft

2.
Vietnamese girls in traditional dress
7 ft

3.
Coconut Monk walks towards camera
13 ft

4.
Picture of Christ PAN DOWN
17 ft

5.
Monks praying for peace
53 ft

6.
CU Coconut Monk
58 ft

7.
Monks praying
60 ft

8.
Cutaway pictures
62 ft

9.
GV Pagoda
67 ft



Initials



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: South Vietnam's celebrated Coconut Monk, a fervent pacifist living on a floating pagoda in the middle of the Mekong River, has proclaimed that the haris peace talks between United States negotiator Doctor Menry Xissinger and North Vietnam's Mr. Le Duc Tho are doomed to failure.

The eccentric 65-year-old monk, who lives a life of severe abstinence and squats permanently in the lotus position, has been the country's oldest seeker of peace since he built his pagoda on the water bight years ago.

Phoenix Island, as he sometimes refers to his headquarters, is the refuge of some 1,500 disciples dressed in brown robes and turbans. Korea them half of then re draft-dodgers or defectors from the Viet Cong.

The Coconut Monk claims the current sessions of the Paris peace talks will serve no purpose in the quest for peace. Peace will only come in ???ndo???, he claims, whom the opposing sides meet on his floating pagoda for talks. The Americans, he adds, will be welcome as observers.

The Coconut Monk, who was trained as chemist in France, has already revealed his objectives to President Nguyen Van Thieu, but he is forbidden to leave the country to preach his philosophy overseas. he lives on donations from his follower and preaches his message of peace to anybody willing to listen. "Those who believe in peace must renounce violence," he says, "and those who truly love peace should unite with us."