Temple raided, senior monks arrested on corruption charges

[webfact]

Temple raided, senior monks arrested on corruption charges

By The Nation

 

Phra Buddhaisara is taken to the Crime Suppression Division Thursday morning.

 

More than 100 officers from the Crime Suppression Division and the Technology Crime Suppression Division have raided four well-known temples and arrested senior monks on charges of siphoning off temple development funds.
 

Armed with court warrants, the police officers searched Wat Sam Phray, Wat Saket, and Wat Samphanthawong in Bangkok and Wat Omnoi in Nakhon Pathom.

 

They took Phra Promdilok, abbot of Wat Sam Phraya and Bangkok monastic chief, and Phra Buddhaisara, abbot of Wat Omnoi, to the CSD head office for questioning. Police could not find the abbots of the other two temples.

 

Phra Buddhaisara was also charged with being head of an illegal syndicate for his role in leading protests against the Yingluck government in 2013 and 2014.

 

 

The monks were suspected of collaborating with senior officials of the National Buddhism Office to siphon off money sent to the temples for development.

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346168

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-24

[seajae]

lets see how far this goes, they got 2 but 2 got away, not unusual for head monks when wanted by the police. About time all temples were dragged into line and made to follow the rules, this enriching ones self by them is beyond a joke, they are not above the law and need to be shown this fact.

[darksidedog]

This is very sad. Buddhism is the cornerstone of Thai life, and when outrageous corruption reaches so deep into its heart, it becomes very easy to understand why it is sadly, so rife throughout the entire society.

[worgeordie]

Maybe the Government should stop giving funds to Temples,

after all they are also getting support from the people that attend,

put the money into health care,which is surely more important.

regards worgeordie

[Get Real]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

Crime Suppression Division and the Technology Crime Suppression Division have raided four well-known temples

What? Only four??? Guess these guys have their work shedule cemented for the next 10 years! 

[Just1Voice]

There is no true Buddhism in Thailand.  Never has been. 

[Samui Bodoh]

The only thing sadder to me than the possibility that monks were stealing money is that I have no faith in the investigators to get to the bottom/truth of it.

 

When there is no faith in the investigators, what is left?

 

I am feeling truly sad for Thailand and Thai people; there is so much promise tempered by so much disappointment...

 

 

[colinneil]

Arresting senior monks for corruption !!

Sorry that is no longer news, it is an every day occurrence.

Monks now same as senior government officials think it is their entitlement.

Every day you have poor people giving food/ money to the monks, but that is not enough for the greedy sods, more they want more.

[tomacht8]

If those criminals  can go unpunished, that is again a punch in the face for all honest and sincere people.

[bluesofa]

40 minutes ago, seajae said:

lets see how far this goes, they got 2 but 2 got away, not unusual for head monks when wanted by the police. About time all temples were dragged into line and made to follow the rules, this enriching ones self by them is beyond a joke, they are not above the law and need to be shown this fact.

The two that got away: Probably a quick prayer on the Buddhist hotline, and "PUFF!", there they were - gone.

 

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Police could not find the abbots of the other two temples.

[ThreeEyedRaven]

The monks reputation has been taking a bit of a beating of late. We have had murder, abuse of young boys, drug dealing, being drunk, fraud, just to mention a few, and now more cases of embezzlement. When the pillars of society show such lack of moral integrity, what surprise that Thai society follows suit. Corruption here has become endemic.

[stanleycoin]

This is good news.

 

New slogan 

Bad Monks out - Good Monks in.

 

That's a lot of officers to arrest a few naughty Monks.

Were they expecting heavy resistance. ? 

 

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, stanleycoin said:

This is good news.

 

New slogan 

Bad Monks out - Good Monks in.

 

That's a lot of officers to arrest a few naughty Monks.

Were they expecting heavy resistance. ? 

 

I think they were covering themselves in case of an almighty intervention.

 

[webfact]

Wat Saket abbot eludes police cordon

By The Nation

 

 

Phra Phromsitti, the abbot of Wat Saket, appears to have fled as 100 police officers descended on the Bangkok temple early Thursday morning to arrest him and three other monks implicated in a temple-fund embezzlement scandal.
 

Reached by phone, Immigration Bureau commissioner Pol Lt-General Sutthipong Wongpin said there was no indication the abbot had left the country, but his office would place him on a blacklist if shown the arrest warrant.

 

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) commander Pol Maj General Maitree Chimcherd, who led the temple raid, said 10 bank passbooks belonging to Phra Phromsitti had been found, the accounts containing a combined Bt132 million.

 

He said that money had been frozen on the orders of the Anti-Money Laundering Office secretary-general.

 

Police had determined that the abbot was at the temple on Wednesday and officers were stationed at all entrances, Maitree said, but on Thursday they discovered another exit near the monks’ residences that afforded stealthy access to main road.

 

“I’m not worried about [the abbot’s disappearance],” he said. “No matter where he goes, we will find and arrest him eventually.”

Police also removed a computer and documents regarding the temple budget from Phra Phromsitti’s residence and arrested three of four civilians accused of aiding in the embezzlement.

 

Also arrested were two monks wanted in the case, whose names were not released.

 

Police were meanwhile guarding assistant abbot Phra Wijitdhammaporn, who is undergoing treatment at Samitivej Hospital.

 

The Wat Saket operation coincided with police raids at Wat Sam Phraya and Wat Samphanthawong in Bangkok and Wat Omnoi in Nakhon Pathom.

 

Phra Promdilok, abbot of Wat Sam Phraya and Bangkok monastic chief, and Phra Buddhaisara, abbot of Wat Omnoi, were taken to CSD headquarters for questioning.

 

All of the senior monks are suspects in the embezzlement of state funds meant for dharma schools, an affair exposed last year with the discovery that senior officials of the National Buddhism Office (NBO) might have embezzled funds.

 

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has indicted several officials, including former NBO chief Phanom Sornsilp and Pranom Kongpikul, its former deputy director.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30346177

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-24

[Just1Voice]

Ya know, Buddha told his followers that after he died, NOT to pray to him.  Told them he was just a man, NOT a god, therefore their prayers would be wasted.  Someone forgot to mention that to the Thai. lol

 

[mok199]

where are the Jehovas Witness when you need them

[stanleycoin]

50 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

Ya know, Buddha told his followers that after he died, NOT to pray to him.  Told them he was just a man, NOT a god, therefore their prayers would be wasted.  Someone forgot to mention that to the Thai. lol

 

They think they own Buddhism.

Check out the looks the locals give you,  when you go into a temple here.

( the what are you doing in here , Frown. )  what a laugh !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eric Loh]

Slap another charge on Buddha Issara for masquerading as a monk. He is more a thug in saffron. 

[Basil B]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

This is very sad. Buddhism is the cornerstone of Thai life, and when outrageous corruption reaches so deep into its heart, it becomes very easy to understand why it is sadly, so rife throughout the entire society.

It is not Buddhism that is the problem, it is the crocks who put on the saffron robes.

[BobBKK]

'Buddha' Issara what a disgrace he is and they should stop him using 'Buddha' as part of his name maybe Dog Issara might be more fitting

[stanleycoin]

39 minutes ago, mok199 said:

where are the Jehovas Witness when you need them

Banging on someone else's door.

dressed as business men, annoying the normal people of this planet. 

[scorecard]

 

The abbot needs a haircut.

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Just1Voice said:

Ya know, Buddha told his followers that after he died, NOT to pray to him.  Told them he was just a man, NOT a god, therefore their prayers would be wasted.  Someone forgot to mention that to the Thai. lol

 

Decades ago I sometimes visited a temple in the UK, it was run by an English monk.

He was quite strict with the Thais visiting there. I knew nothing about Buddhism, he told me the same about not praying to Buddha.

He also never ceased telling the Thais the same same thing too, whenever they did pray to Buddha wanting something.

If they asked the monk when his birthday was, he would gently admonish them not to use his birthday in order to buy lottery tickets.

 

[bluesofa]

55 minutes ago, mok199 said:

where are the Jehovas Witness when you need them

They couldn't get a work permit.

 

(Not a joke by the way. Over twenty years ago I saw two Jehovas Witness' being detained by an immigration official when they couldn't produce a WP while doing some door-to-door-converting.)

 

[mercman24]

one temple and 132 million baht goes missing, dam good business, this, preying on the poor, to give money for GOOD LUCK, still its instilled in them from an early age. and they still cant see it.imagine that happening in a western society

[stanleycoin]

11 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

They couldn't get a work permit.

 

(Not a joke by the way. Over twenty years ago I saw two Jehovas Witness' being detained by an immigration official when they couldn't produce a WP while doing some door-to-door-converting.)

 

They are still in Pattaya,  seen them a few months back.

two Ladies and one Guy. 

[Samui Bodoh]

I have found this story troubling all day (too much time on my hands...). I am not sure why; there have been stories about renegade monks before (plenty of them!), I think Buddhaisara (spelling?) lost his way a long time ago, and I have long been horrified and disgusted by the use of money to "buy" forgiveness/merit/good luck/etc in temples, etc etc etc. 

 

The reason that I am horrified today is that I have asked myself the question, "where do Thai people, children especially, learn their morality from?" and I cannot think of an answer. 

 

In my native country, I learned morality from my parents; here in Thailand many parents pay bribes for stuff, etc on a daily/regular basis. I learned morality at school; here in Thailand many teachers don't work hard, ask for extra cash on the side and are abusive to their students. I learned morality from society's political leaders who were chosen in a free and fair process; here in Thailand cheating is the rule, not the exception. I learned morality from the police when they visited my school as a child and explained a bit how we should and shouldn't behave; here in Thailand police are considered crooks by most, if not all; people. I learned to respect the courts and legal system as a means of attaining justice, even when I knew that it didn't always happen; here in Thailand everyone believes that money is the main factor in what a potential verdict will be. I learned to discern right and wrong from my family, my church, my school, my society, etc etc etc; here in Thailand that doesn't seem to happen.

 

I could go on, but there isn't much point. And, I apologize to all that this sounds like a very anti-Thai post; I guess in many ways that it is, but I really wish that it weren't.

 

So, let me put a simple question to the members...

 

Where and how do Thai children learn morality? Right and wrong?

 

Anyone?

 

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Wat Saket abbot eludes police cordon

He saw them coming from his look-out and then used his private zip-line.

[CGW]

3 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

 Corruption here has become endemic.

I would say all so called "religions" are corrupted, the Catholic church would take some beating in the corruption stakes!