80 million baht cash found buried at Buddhist temple in Thailand

[webfact]

Photo via ThaiRath

 

by leah

A stash of 80 million baht cash and a pile of gold bars were found buried in the soil behind Wat Pa Dhammakiri temple in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand on Monday.

 

The temple was searched after the former abbot and two others were arrested under suspicion of embezzling 180 million baht of temple funds last week. The three suspects are suspected of embezzling 300 million baht since 2020.

 

Officers from the Crime Suppression Division arrested 39 year old Khom Kongkaew (formerly Phra Khom Apiwaro) – a meditation master – 38 year old Wuttima Thaomor (formerly Phra Mahawutima Thaomor) – the former abbot of the temple – and Khom’s 35 year old Juthathip Phutbodhiwarochupan on Sunday on charges of embezzlement and corruption.

The trio allegedly took donations and hid the money for themselves. One donation to the temple was allegedly given to former abbot Wuttima who passed the money to Khom’s sister Juthathip.

 

Khom asked to make a phone call at the police station in which he attempted to secretly ask someone to move the temple’s assets, leading the police to conduct a thorough search of the temple grounds.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/80-million-baht-cash-found-buried-at-buddhist-temple-in-thailand

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-05-10

 

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[BenStark]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

Khom asked to make a phone call at the police station in which he attempted to secretly ask someone to move the temple’s assets, leading the police to conduct a thorough search of the temple grounds.

Can I call the helpline ????

[HappyExpat57]

THAT'S where I left it!

 

(someone had to say it)

[quake]

Monks up to monkey business.

Nothing new.

As it's mostly, only pretend Buddhism here. 

It's a business really.

The workers just nicked the months takings. 

 

 

[kcpattaya]

Tip of the Iceberg...
Criminals often search (esape) for their "blessing" in a Temple wearing orange or brown Kathin, acting like a Buddhist with faith in Buddha.
Reality though, their sick mind continues to act like a criminal. Drugs, rape, murder, stealing continues...yet on a much larger scale with nobody watching.

 

[Bangkok Barry]

Anyone that donates money to a temple is an idiot. So many stories over the years of monks acting like criminals (because, as mentioned above, often they are) and mis-using funds or indulging in other un-Buddhist behaviour. How Thailand gets away with calling itself a Buddhist nation is beyond me. It isn't even close.

[worgeordie]

Like all religions it's about power and money  , The Buddha must

be spinning in Nirvarnia seeing what has happened to his teachings.

 

regards worgeordie 

[steven100]

56 minutes ago, quake said:

Monks up to monkey business.

Nothing new.

As it's mostly, only pretend Buddhism here. 

It's a business really.

The workers just nicked the months takings. 

 

 

exactly, nothin' honest about this place I can tell you.

[spidermike007]

Will the monks be arrested, convicted and jailed? They certainly should be. Alot of people believe by giving big money to the temple they earn some sort of karmic merit. Ha! 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The temple was searched after the former abbot and two others were arrested under suspicion of embezzling 180 million baht of temple funds last week. The three suspects are suspected of embezzling 300 million baht since 2020.

Temples are among the biggest ponzi schemes ever in Thailand... 

[KhunBENQ]

Hasn't this been covered in another recent thread?

Old news in fast moving times.

[youreavinalaff]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Anyone that donates money to a temple is an idiot. So many stories over the years of monks acting like criminals (because, as mentioned above, often they are) and mis-using funds or indulging in other un-Buddhist behaviour. How Thailand gets away with calling itself a Buddhist nation is beyond me. It isn't even close.

There are over 30000 even small temple will have about 10 monks. Let's say there are 300000+ monks in temples in Thailand. How many stories have you heard in the "so many" you suggest?

 

I would think the percentage of bad monks would fall in line with bad people in every profession and in life in general.

 

It's a shame. The 1% spoiling things for the others. All getting tarred with the same brush by posters on here. Yet, when there's a story about a dodgy expat and the Thais tar us with the same brush there is outrage.

[n00dle]

All they had to do was hide it somewhre else and it would never have been found <deleted>.

[LukKrueng]

Send like temples can be great businesses. I'm opening one next week. Please start donations now.

[GreasyFingers]

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Like all religions it's about power and money  , The Buddha must

be spinning in Nirvarnia seeing what has happened to his teachings.

 

regards worgeordie 

As Jesus often said: "beware the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees"

[connda]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The temple was searched after the former abbot and two others were arrested under suspicion of embezzling 180 million baht of temple funds last week. The three suspects are suspected of embezzling 300 million baht since 2020.

There is Big Money in Thai Buddhism. 

 

[connda]

2 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

I would think the percentage of bad monks would fall in line with bad people in every profession and in life in general.

You'd be surprised to know the number of Thai men - who are ordained Thai monks - because of the income potential and not out of any spiritual reason. This is outside of the Kammathana Forest Tradition and perhaps the Dhammayut Tradition which are a small minority of monks who abide by the Vinaya rules of Buddhism and don't handle money.  The majority do, however, handle money.  There really needs to be another Thai Buddhist reform movement like that implemented by King Mongkut (Rama IV) in the 1820s.  Personally?  I'd like to see Thai Buddhism put through another reformation period.

[sidjameson]

As the fertility falls ever more the number of wealthy older people who have no one to leave their wealth to will increase. Amazes me that they seem to think leaving it to the temple will bring them merit and also do the most good.

[youreavinalaff]

49 minutes ago, connda said:

You'd be surprised to know the number of Thai men - who are ordained Thai monks - because of the income potential and not out of any spiritual reason. This is outside of the Kammathana Forest Tradition and perhaps the Dhammayut Tradition which are a small minority of monks who abide by the Vinaya rules of Buddhism and don't handle money.  The majority do, however, handle money.  There really needs to be another Thai Buddhist reform movement like that implemented by King Mongkut (Rama IV) in the 1820s.  Personally?  I'd like to see Thai Buddhism put through another reformation period.

Becoming a monk because of financial reasons, remember they are part of the community and considered as working, does not make them thieves.

[HuskerDo2]

33 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

As Jesus often said: "beware the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees"

He said it perfectly. SO MANY televangelists on TV these days wearing fancy suits, living in million dollar homes, enjoying their private jets all while telling the TV audience to send "them" more money. They might live a life of luxury now by fleecing the people that trust them but judgement day will come for them eventually.  

[phetphet]

Cash AND gold bars?

 

I wonder. Is it illegal to use metal detectors around  temples?

[khaowong1]

I'm asking, where did all this money come from.  How long did it take them to accumulate this much money.  I lived in a small country temple in Lopburi province for 5 years... I never seen this kind of money while there.  Sometimes we didn't have enough to pay the electric bill. 

[bristolgeoff]

Behind the temple in the temple who knows who knew.The monks had a secret bank maybe now uncovered

[Skeptic7]

Oh those pious pretenders...always up to scamming, scheming, cheating, abusing, diddling & fiddling the world over. 

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Skeptic7 said:

Oh those pious pretenders...always up to scamming, scheming, cheating, abusing, diddling & fiddling the world over. 

Yes your right and it all starts at the very top, the senior politicians, happens the world over, and certainly in countries like both here in Thailand and in the UK.

[neeray]

80 million baht cash is a pee pot full of money.

= $2,381,201 USD

= $3,184,744 Canadian

= 1,884,747 Pound Sterling

Not even to mention the gold bars or the other big amounts listed.

Some monks were planning a very comfortable retirement using OPM (Other People's Money).

[bamnutsak]

Found and returned by a taxi driver?

 

 

Seriously, they should just list the temples which haven't been embezzled from, both of them.