Female disciple who ‘helped senior monk flee to Laos’ being interrogated

By KAMPANART LA-ONG, 
THAWEE APISAKULCHAT 
THE NATION

 

PHRA PHROMMEDHI,

 

PHRA PHROMMEDHI, the assistant abbot of Wat Samphanthawongsaram, who was wanted for alleged embezzlement of National Buddhism Office (NBO) funds, escaped to Laos with assistance from a disciple and has since travelled to an unknown destination further north, a police investigation found.

 

The unnamed female disciple, who was arrested at the Thai-Lao border checkpoint while returning to the Kingdom after |seeing off the fugitive monk, has been interrogated about the monk’s whereabouts so that Thai police could contact their Lao counterparts to locate and arrest him, a police source said.

 

National police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda led a team of investigators to Nakhon Phanom province yesterday morning to follow up on progress in the case. 

 

They were told that the monk was about to return to his Bangkok temple from Phitsanulok province when he heard about the arrests of other senior monks at Sa Ket and Sam Phraya temples on May 24, so he diverted his female disciple’s van, driven by her chauffeur, to Nakhon Phanom.

The monk stayed at a temple in Renu Nakhon district before travelling by a fishing boat that left a pier in Muang Nakhon Phanom into Laos on Wednesday without immigration processing. 

 

He stayed overnight at a hotel in Khammouane province in Laos on Thursday before travelling to northern Laos, police said. 

 

A disciple told police that the monk had known for some time that police would arrest him over the graft allegation. 

 

He apparently told the disciple that he was not worried because he had prepared an escape route and could go and stay in Laos. 

 

 

Nakhon Phanom police yesterday also seized for inspection a Toyota van at a Renu Nakhon temple, suspected to be linked to the fugitive monk, and was gathering evidence to seek an arrest warrant for a local monk accused of helping the fugitive monk flee.

 

Meanwhile, “Chao Phut Phalang Phaendin” (Buddhists Who Are Power of Land) group representative Jaroon Wannakasinanont yesterday filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok against Pol Lt-Colonel Pongporn Phramsane, the chief of the NBO, and officials involved in the temple development budget approval, accusing them of corruption with intent to damage the Sangha Council. 

The group accused Pongporn of filing false complaints with the police’s Counter Corruption Division against the five senior monks on April 11. 

 

The group claimed that the officials had presented the senior monks the ill-gotten money for use and then Pongporn filed the complaint, resulting in the monks’ arrests, which the group said were a heart-breaking sight.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346801

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-02

 

9 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

which the group said were a heart-breaking sight.

so what ; the issues are ,at their core, legal ones

The monks arrests were a heartbreaking sight.... AHH the poor dears.

If the monks werent so greedy/ corrupt/ dishonest, it would not have happened.

Scammers and supposed high levels criminals always find a way out of town there are more conections than the London underground to facilitate.   

His running away is synonymous to several other monks who also did a runner when they were about to be caught and tried for their malfeasances acts, how can a senior monk or any monk for that matter justify their criminal acts and still wear the saffron robe as if nothing happened?... 

27 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

...escaped to Laos with assistance from a disciple and has since travelled to an unknown destination further north, ...

Geography for 200 Alex...

 

Which country are they referring to?

Just now, ezzra said:

His running away is synonymous to several other monks who also did a runner when they were about to be caught and tried for their malfeasances acts, how can a senior monk or any monk for that matter justify their criminal acts and still wear the saffron robe as if nothing happened?... 

The same reason as plenty of ordained Catholic priests in the real world got a free pass?

What exactly are the duties of a female disciple apart from driving?

Grasshopper... and here I thought the Thai monks were going to be a like a rerun of "KungFu".

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 20188 yr by NCC1701A

25 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

Grasshopper... and here I thought the Thai monks were going to be a like a rerun of "KungFu".

When my Thai bro-in-law was just a little kid, he liked the KungFu show.  He'd try to act like " Kwai Chang Caine".  The rest of the family called him Kwai Jahp Keng, which is "buffalo grab basket".  40 some years later he still gets reminded of it.  555

Edited June 2, 20188 yr by Damrongsak

50 minutes ago, mikebell said:

What exactly are the duties of a female disciple apart from driving?

she didn't drive:

Quote

so he diverted his female disciple’s van, driven by her chauffeur,

which freed her up for whatever fugitive monks require from female disciples in a van

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

she didn't drive:

which freed her up for whatever fugitive monks require from female disciples in a van

Sort of a confessional box on wheels?

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

she didn't drive:

which freed her up for whatever fugitive monks require from female disciples in a van

A little bit of "discipline" ?

11 hours ago, ezzra said:

His running away is synonymous to several other monks who also did a runner when they were about to be caught and tried for their malfeasances acts, how can a senior monk or any monk for that matter justify their criminal acts and still wear the saffron robe as if nothing happened?... 

You act like they believe. Whatever gave you that impression?

10 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

she didn't drive:

which freed her up for whatever fugitive monks require from female disciples in a van

Well, she did carry a riding crop.

10 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

she didn't drive:

which freed her up for whatever fugitive monks require from female disciples in a van

The monks  female disciple has her  own expensive van and driver.  Who is paying for that?

12 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Well, she did carry a riding crop.

 disciples / disciplinarians / lovers.........

the fact he bragged about already having an escape route sorted out shows just how guilty he was as well as the rest of them, monks are not above the law, these idiots need to realize that fact

11 hours ago, NanLaew said:

The same reason as plenty of ordained Catholic priests in the real world got a free pass?

Let's not forget about the Protestants and their White and Black low-budget Elmer Gantrys of the Bible-Belt. I can still hear Jimmy Swaggart crying, ''Oh, I have sinned against you, and I beg your forgiveness.''

31 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Let's not forget about the Protestants and their White and Black low-budget Elmer Gantrys of the Bible-Belt. I can still hear Jimmy Swaggart crying, ''Oh, I have sinned against you, and I beg your forgiveness.''

or the latest US bible bashing con man ( forget the name) who says that god has told him he must have a $70m private jet - donations are gladly accepted of course as god is broke.

Some of the worst sinners in the world are closely tied to Churches and Temples. The two

Jimmys in the USA are only 2 of a large corrupt bunch of filth in the Churches, and it looks

like several senior monks are really just jerks in saphron robes.  I do know lots of good monks

and these ones making the news are a blemish.  I hope they are all caught and named and

disrobed and then jailed as well.

On 6/2/2018 at 7:41 PM, Artisi said:

or the latest US bible bashing con man ( forget the name) who says that god has told him he must have a $70m private jet - donations are gladly accepted of course as god is broke.

You are speaking of Joel  Duplantis, but he is only one of many who dupe the ignorant in the name of a supreme being. The modern transformation of the Elmer Gantry types, the bible-thumping despots, are the tele-evangelists; Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Myer, Kenneth Copeland. They steal the beliefs of the misguided.  

Female ?...disciple ?....what a wonderful combination and what a wonderful job this chap has or had !!

So there going after the Girls now. 

It just gets better every day,  Carry on Monks. 

 that sounds,  a bit like a movie 

 

Edited June 3, 20188 yr by stanleycoin