BANGKOK, Jan 30, 2008 (AFP) - A Thai fabric designer has unveiled a new line of saffron-coloured robes infused with bug repellent to keep mosquitoes from biting Buddhist monks, a company announced Wednesday, January 30th.

Photo : AFP

The robes, which have been soaked with a herbal bug repellent, will eventually be sold for export to other Buddhist countries around Asia, said Wisan Wanasaksrisakul, managing director of Thai Covenant Co Ltd, which manufactures the garments.

"We have experimented with four kinds of mosquitoes, and when monks wear our robes, the mosquitoes can't detect that their food (human blood) is near," Wisan said.

The robes cost about 10 percent more than normal ones, he said, adding that his company hopes to sell them to countries like Myanmar, Sri Lanka and India.

The market for robes for Buddhist monks in Thailand is worth about two billion baht (60 million dollars) a year.

Thailand has between 350,000 to 400,000 Buddhist monks at any given time. Most Thai men are expected to enter the monkhood at least once in their lives.