Temple raided, senior monks arrested on corruption charges

[impulse]

18 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

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

 

That's really a shame, because Wat Saket is the only temple I bother to visit any more in BKK.  After about a dozen temples, they all look pretty much the same to me.  Except Wat Saket.  Not because the temple is special, but the view of the city is.

[bluesofa]

32 minutes ago, CGW said:

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

I gather the altar boys would take a good beating too, from what I've read about it.

 

[Jingjock]

Monks, Buddahism, ripping off their own people, they havn't scratched the surface yet, there all frigging at it.

[Lupatria]

Why is the saying about the one apple and the basket still in use? Shouldn't it relate to the oranges here? 

[Wilsonandson]

Well, well, well, the political monk has been nicked at last. Wonder what the charge is? Insurrection?

[bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

Well, well, well, the political monk has been nicked at last. Wonder what the charge is? Insurrection?

Depending on how 'grave' the offences are deemed to be, perhaps resurrection might be considered.

 

[Dap]

4 hours 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. ? 

 

100 officers, 4 temples, 25 to a temple = not that many when you consider that most do nothing anyway.

[TheFishman1]

Thailand no real surprises here TIT

[tracker1]

9 hours ago, Get Real said:

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

20 years if you follow the Road Map to Happiness !

[tracker1]

5 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

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

He also left the music on " I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane " won't be back again !

 

[billd766]

5 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

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?

 

 

Hopefully my son will learn from me.

[AsiaHand]

10 hours 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.

They are like the American TV preachers Tammy and Jimmy Baker. When he got caught stated "God didn't say that I had to be poor".

[Denim]

Glad they got that Phra Issara scumbag. Should have been arrested and thrown out of the monkhood a long time ago.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

11 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

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...

 

 

Faith in anything here having to do with officialdom probably extends only so far as the idea that they'll do whatever it takes to enrich themselves, and their official/professional/religious standards/obligations are a mere inconvenience.  That I can have well-founded faith in.

 

 

[tukkytuktuk]

Quote

On 10 April 2017, Wichai Prasertsutsiri, coordinator of the Centre for the Promotion of Buddhism Foundation, filed a complaint under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse majesté law, against Buddha Isara at the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok.

Wichai said that on 30 May 2009 the monk performed a ritual to bless Buddha amulets engraved with the monograph of the late King Bhumibol before selling them to his disciples.

During the ritual, the monk used his own blood to bless the amulets. Such action was defamatory to the Thai monarchy since the amulets were engraved with the royal monograph, said Wichai.

https://prachatai.com/english/node/7066

 

 

[ChidlomDweller]

Happiest news all year in the Bangkok Post: the out-and-out scumbag got defrocked and is in jail.  Goes under his earthly name Suvit Thongprasert again.  Has less of a ring to it than Phra Buddha Isara. 

 

He must have fallen foul of his former co-conspirators.  Probably too unpredictable and uncontrollable.

[AsiaHand]

13 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

The photo looks like a bunch of French soldiers in yellow bed sheets giving their Salute.

[jenny2017]

I don't believe one word. Monks are always innocent. Well, sometimes when they sit on a bus maybe not. 

[jenny2017]

1 hour ago, AsiaHand said:

The photo looks like a bunch of French soldiers in yellow bed sheets giving their Salute.

Lol

[hotchilli]

Corruption at all levels of society.. it's a national pass-time, inbred from birth it seems!!

[Happyman58]

21 hours ago, colinneil said:

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.

2

That's is how I feel to Col. Poor Thai people give all and really believe and all these guys do is rip them off. Got on a Thai smile plane 3 weeks ago Bangkok-Ubon. There was a Monk on Board. He got on the plane first and this is at 8.30 in the morning mind you. He got to sit in the Premium Economy seats up the front. By the time I got on board, he was sitting there having a glass of wine. They shut the curtains and fed him all the food and drink he wanted. I would say all on the house Now I don't think that is right. Why does he deserve that? Are Monks suppose to be people who lead simple lives 

[Cadbury]

If the monks are not careful their reputation as fraudsters will soon be up there with the corruption "big guns" like politicians, military officers, civil servants, the RTP, school directors and customs officials. 

As for the money that is generously allocated to the monks for stealing purposes I'm betting much of it is siphoned off by others within the civil service before it even gets to them.

[The Deerhunter]

On 5/24/2018 at 12:07 PM, 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. ? 

 

Well they get exactly that in some places.

[tomta]

Why now and on whose command? Certainly I think we can rule out a sudden rush of justice and righteousness  as the motivating factors behind the arrest although they may incidentally serve those purposes.

[Redline]

There are no limits to the corruption.  Most of the funds for the poor are stolen in every area of life here

[Jeremia Juxtaposed]

5 minutes ago, Redline said:

There are no limits to the corruption.  Most of the funds for the poor are stolen in every area of life here

Did Mother Theresa find her vocation from Thailand I wonder..???

[billd766]

7 hours ago, Jeremia Juxtaposed said:

Did Mother Theresa find her vocation from Thailand I wonder..???

 

Now why on earth would you wonder about that?

 

She spent most of her working life amonst the poor and in the squalor.

 

I wonder what you have ever done for others much poorer than youself?