Phra Buddha Isara arrested after commando raid of temple

[webfact]

Phra Buddha Isara arrested after commando raid of temple

By The Nation

 

Phra Buddha Isara, who was disrobed after the Criminal Court rejected his bail request, is taken to Bangkok Remand Prison yesterday. He was arrested on charges of illegal association.

 

POLICE COMMANDOS raided the Onoi Temple yesterday morning to arrest its well-known founder and abbot, Phra Buddha Isara.

 

The monk has been charged with illegal association for his role in the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protests.

 

Phra Buddha Isara has denied the charges.

 

 

The Criminal Court rejected his bail request out of concerns that he might tamper with evidence. By monastic rules, Phra Buddha Isara had to disrobe because he was being sent to jail.

 

Policemen were armed during the operation to arrest the monk amid reports that some of the security guards at Onoi Temple had guns. 

 

Police have pressed the illegal-association charge against Phra Buddha Isara as he allegedly mobilised some demonstrators to attack two special-branch policemen and snatched their guns during the PDRC rally in 2014. The PDRC was trying to oust the Yingluck Shinawatra-led government. 

 

 

Born in 1956, Phra Buddha Isara first entered monkhood at the age of 20 at a temple in Bangkok’s Klong Toei district. He later left monkhood to enter military service.

 

However, in 1983, he again attended the ordination ceremony.

 

 

In 1989, he established the Onoi Temple on a donated plot of land in Tambon Huai Khwang, Kamphaeng Saen district, Nakhon Pathom province. Six years later, he was named its abbot. In 1999, he was appointed the monastic chief of Tambon Huai Kwang.

 

The appointment generated some controversy regarding the number of his years in monkhood. So Phra Buddha Isara gave up the post. 

Between 2013 and 2014, he joined the PDRC rallies. In 2016, he petitioned the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to seize the assets of Phra Dhammachayo, the controversial then-abbot of Dhammakaya Temple. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346206

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-25

[Samui Bodoh]

Long, long, long ,long overdue. That said, better late then never.

 

Put him in jail and throw away the key...

[greenchair]

And I saw there was an LM charge from 2011. 

For all the LM people imprisoned since 2014, there is a great Buddhist concept that isara will now learn first hand. 

What goes around comes around. 

Karma. 

 

[Somtamnication]

Oh my Bhudda. What took so long? ?

[colinneil]

Well h must be p+++sed about that, he thought he was above the law.

Finally he is where he belongs .... Behind bars.

[canuckamuck]

I am amazed, he surely was untouchable at one point. He had those cops pistol whipped in front of a crowd, did he not?

I wonder what has changed in his status? Cracks forming in the upper crust?

[tracker1]

Is there a video of the commando raid ? if only he had supported the junta things might have been different 

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

amid reports that some of the security guards at Onoi Temple had guns. 

must be the way to tell a 'good' temple from a 'bad' one, if they have armed guards they are not 'good'

[LomSak27]

Just now, canuckamuck said:

I wonder what has changed in his status? Cracks forming in the upper crust?

He was the "Monk" of the party so desperate to get rid of Ying, and as such was protected. Seems the rift between that party and the powers that be is growing.
Note to self, buy more microwave popcorn this weekend

[Sir Dude]

This "political monk" has been acting far outside his remit for a long time...should be made an example of.

[Darcula]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

By monastic rules, Phra Buddha Isara had to disrobe because he was being sent to jail.

 

That's okay, he can enter the monkhood later to make merit and ask for forgiveness. That always works for criminals.

 

[Eric Loh]

This is very significant not only for Issara but for the NCPO who has protected him for so long. The tide is certainly turning. The constitution court accepting the election organic laws not accidental IMO. Very high possibility of election in Feb. More things will happen in days ahead. 

[rkidlad]

Look at some of those people crying. They've lost their lucky charm. Who are they supposed to pray to for money now?

[Denim]

2 hours ago, greenchair said:

And I saw there was an LM charge from 2011. 

For all the LM people imprisoned since 2014, there is a great Buddhist concept that isara will now learn first hand. 

What goes around comes around. 

Karma. 

 

Yes, another yellow shirt leader charged with LM ( Sondi Limongkul was also thus charged )

 

Oh the sweet irony. 

 

Well hoisted on their own petard.

 

I think there must be more to this arrest than meets the eye seeing as how the crime was committed in 2009. Maybe a bit of house cleaning by the current ' government ' keen to rid itself of now unneeded garbage.

[Chang_paarp]

1 hour ago, tracker1 said:

Is there a video of the commando raid ? if only he had supported the junta things might have been different 

 

Rumour has it the arrest was ordered from high.

[Lupatria]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Policemen were armed during the operation to arrest the monk amid reports that some of the security guards at Onoi Temple had guns. 

Some people in charge must have overheard the reports. What does it say about Thai Buddhism if a temple needs armed guards, or is it just a folklorist referring to the Vaticong's Swiss Guard? 

[SOTIRIOS]

...duhh...nobody asking about the Dhammakaya billions and trillions any more...???

 

...oh well.....'priorities'....

[AGareth2]

8 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Rumour has it the arrest was ordered from high.

something going down

not sure if I should make an additional comment

[bluesofa]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Phra Buddha Isara arrested after commando raid of temple

Normally I'd see that as an oxymoron, but not in this case. “Curiouser and curiouser!” Cried Alice.

 

[henry15]

Its  a revenche action from the Sangha.  They never forgive him,  that he made the proposal that temples  should have a bookkeeping  and pay taxes. I'm not agree with his involvement in politics  and  his role in  the 2014 events.

 

But I do respect him for his efforts to clean up Buddhism in Thailand.

[toofarnorth]

You know something a bit iffy is going down when the headline reads ' Commando raid of temple '.  Times are getting very odd over here.

[candide]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

Yes, another yellow shirt leader charged with LM ( Sondi Limongkul was also thus charged )

 

Oh the sweet irony. 

 

Well hoisted on their own petard.

 

I think there must be more to this arrest than meets the eye seeing as how the crime was committed in 2009. Maybe a bit of house cleaning by the current ' government ' keen to rid itself of now unneeded garbage.

Obviously, both Sondi and Isara have not been indicted because of what they did as yellow shirt against the Shins. Sondi had pissed off an influent person, and it is most likely the case for Isara. If not the case, he would have benefited from the same protection as Suthep.

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, henry15 said:

Its  a revenche action from the Sangha.  They never forgive him,  that he made the proposal that temples  should have a bookkeeping  and pay taxes. I'm not agree with his involvement in politics  and  his role in  the 2014 events.

 

But I do respect him for his efforts to clean up Buddhism in Thailand.

Sangha don't have that kind of power to stick an LM case on him. Clean buddhism bit rich mate. 

[Thailand]

2 minutes ago, candide said:

Obviously, both Sondi and Isara have not been indicted because of what they did as yellow shirt against the Shins. Sondi had pissed off an influent person, and it is most likely the case for Isara. If not the case, he would have benefited from the same protection as Suthep.

Maybe he is next but he probably has the goods on certain persons so reasonably well protected.

[webfact]

Ex-senior monks have trouble sleeping first night in jail, says prison chief

By The Nation

 

Ex-Phra Buddha Isara and five ex-senior monks of three well-known temples in Bangkok slept poorly on their first night at the Bangkok Remand Prison, the prison chief said on Friday morning.
 

Phra Buddhga Isra, abbot of Wat Omnoi, and five senior monks from Wat Sa Ket, Wat Sam Pnraya and Wat Samphanthawongsaram were arrested on Thursday.

 

Suwit Thongprasert, former Phra Buddha Isara, was arrested on charges of illegal association for his role in the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protests and the unauthorised use of the initials of the late HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej and HM Queen Sirikit in amulets.

 

The five other monks were arrested on charges of corruption.

 

After being refused bail by the court, they were all defrocked. Monks cannot be put in jail before being defrocked.

 

They arrived at the remand prison at 9pm on Thursday, exhausted after a day of interrogation, and were even more exhausted on Friday morning after having difficulty sleeping, said Krit.

 

Further interrogation is expected.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30346243

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-25

[Anak Nakal]

Fake monk.

Good bye!

[colinneil]

Ahh the poor dears did not sleep well, who cares, they are where they belong behind bars.

[Darcula]

Get the barf bag ready

 

 

[greenchair]

2 hours ago, Denim said:

Yes, another yellow shirt leader charged with LM ( Sondi Limongkul was also thus charged )

 

Oh the sweet irony. 

 

Well hoisted on their own petard.

 

I think there must be more to this arrest than meets the eye seeing as how the crime was committed in 2009. Maybe a bit of house cleaning by the current ' government ' keen to rid itself of now unneeded garbage.

Perhaps he knows too much. 

Yes, sondhi also learned the lesson, what goes around comes around. 

But the one everyone is waiting for is Suthep. 

You never know when the worm will turn in Thailand. 

[rkidlad]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

Ex-senior monks have trouble sleeping first night in jail, says prison chief

Diddums. Prison shouldn't really be too much of a change from the temple for him. No possessions, thin mat for a bed, small cusion for a pillow, etc. He should be happy with this limited stuff seeing as he's dedicated his life to Buddhism.