Thai monk had 10 bank accounts with daily transactions of Bt2m

[rametindallas]

I believe this monk had a lot of high ranking police and military officers among his 'followers'. Do you think, maybe, he was laundering money for them as a business? Surely the locals are not donating that much cash and their cash wouldn't need to be moved around, anyway. The police and military take in 'tons' of money and need to do something with it and nobody looks twice at ubiquitous monks. Clever operation. I don't expect he will ever return to Thailand to 'explain' everything now he's exposed.

It was also nice of the authorities to wait a week before they go to the monastery; gives the monks time to destroy any evidence that might incriminate his 'customers'. Surely the authorities don't want to embarrass any high ranking police or military officers. You never know who their friends in high places might be.

[rametindallas]

It's a sad day when a monk who has taken all sorts of vows can't accept generous gifts from devotees who are assured of a better life in the hereafter.

I think that you are a troll and just taking the pi$$ with the above comment.

Not all, but many of these saffron garbed individuals are drop outs too lazy to get a real job.

It is even possible that NKK was being sarcastic. If you are Thai you don't know about sarcasm.

Sarcasm: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny

[hellodolly]

He must have reached nirvana already judging by that whopping big smile on his face.

If the money remains unclaimed I would like to say "hey, its mine give it back"

He must have been tipped off before the shit hit the temple fan by his police friends that's why the France trip was so perfectly timed.

I think you are right first it hit the temple fan then the government came in. If he can explain the temple then he will get away with the government looking into his business. They will simply say the Temples have approved of his acttions so they must be legal.

No wonder he looks so happy! Seems to be a lot of scandals surrounding Buddhist Monks lately, like the one about monks on a jet plane with Luis Vuitton bags, sunglasses and iPhones.

Well, must be their good karma!

One and the same.

[DiNiro]

High society types funnel their criminal activity thru important monks.

This story will dry up soon.

[hellodolly]

What a shame this is to the monks who takes their vows seriously and devote their lives to helping other people.

I bet he doesn`t have that smile on his face today.

Great post

Far and away the monks who stay monks are a benefit to society.

Monks like this and the ones who are only in the monk hood for a short period of time give all the honest monks a bad name.

[SSSlongtime]

i will take his job ,cut my hair ,dont mind the cloths ,but no hand bags

[Just1Voice]

God create the Thailand Monks and i believe he not doing anything wrong

PLEASE tell me what you have been smoking and/or drinking that could create such mind boggling fantasies?

God didn't create Monks, MAN did.

And if you were a true Buddhist, and had actually read the teachings of Buddha, you would see and KNOW that this man has violated every principle of Dharma, that Buddha taught.

[kevvy]

Drugs could well be involved

the monk deals in drugs !!! never , it is like saying they jetset around the world .

[hellodolly]

It's a sad day when a monk who has taken all sorts of vows can't accept generous gifts from devotees who are assured of a better life in the hereafter.

ROTFLMAO...!!!

What?

Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off

[biplanebluey]

What a shame this is to the monks who takes their vows seriously and devote their lives to helping other people.

I bet he doesn`t have that smile on his face today.

What do you think is going to wipe the smile off ? The authorities have given him a week to "distribute" the money and he can now retire with goodness knows how many millions.Throw away the robes---get some expensive fancy clothes---finish off the alterations and additions to the French mansion----stock up the wine cellar and relax--- Here's to my new life !!! BYE

[rametindallas]

God create the Thailand Monks and i believe he not doing anything wrong

PLEASE tell me what you have been smoking and/or drinking that could create such mind boggling fantasies?

God didn't create Monks, MAN did.

And if you were a true Buddhist, and had actually read the teachings of Buddha, you would see and KNOW that this man has violated every principle of Dharma, that Buddha taught.

There is no God in Buddhism.

[Espen]

What a shame this is to the monks who takes their vows seriously and devote their lives to helping other people.

I bet he doesn`t have that smile on his face today.

What do you think is going to wipe the smile off ? The authorities have given him a week to "distribute" the money and he can now retire with goodness knows how many millions.Throw away the robes---get some expensive fancy clothes---finish off the alterations and additions to the French mansion----stock up the wine cellar and relax--- Here's to my new life !!! BYE

I don`t think it is as easy as that. He might just have a small % of the money laundering, if that is what this is. We have no way of knowing that do we.

Just the fact that he got caught and got his face shown publicly should wipe his smile off his face. (Talk about loosing face.)

[biplanebluey]

Memo from BOSS

They are coming to investicate.You have one week---you know what to do---stop

[biplanebluey]

What a shame this is to the monks who takes their vows seriously and devote their lives to helping other people.

I bet he doesn`t have that smile on his face today.

What do you think is going to wipe the smile off ? The authorities have given him a week to "distribute" the money and he can now retire with goodness knows how many millions.Throw away the robes---get some expensive fancy clothes---finish off the alterations and additions to the French mansion----stock up the wine cellar and relax--- Here's to my new life !!! BYE

I don`t think it is as easy as that. He might just have a small % of the money laundering, if that is what this is. We have no way of knowing that do we.

Just the fact that he got caught and got his face shown publicly should wipe his smile off his face. (Talk about loosing face.)

If he cannot be brought back from his French mansion--- Or perhaps does not want to come back then he will not be worrying about losing face.why do you think he ran away ????

[NongKhaiKid]

It's a sad day when a monk who has taken all sorts of vows can't accept generous gifts from devotees who are assured of a better life in the hereafter.

I think that you are a troll and just taking the pi$$ with the above comment.

Not all, but many of these saffron garbed individuals are drop outs too lazy to get a real job.

It is even possible that NKK was being sarcastic. If you are Thai you don't know about sarcasm.

Sarcasm: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny

Thank you, i was being sarcastic. Nothing else seemed appropriate

[Thai at Heart]

'records of transactions totalling up to Bt20 million per day'

That's over $600k a day! And the AMLO chief says that his bank accounts are being 'monitored'. How long will they be monitored for? It seems that these amount of transactions for a monk, abbot or whatever, are ludicrous figures at best. Why, oh why does a man of 'faith' have such access to so much cash? The truth behind this will no doubt be quite amazing, not for the lies but for how he got away with it for so long.

Does the temple give receipts? It is probably an enormous money washing scam

[Espen]

If he cannot be brought back from his French mansion--- Or perhaps does not want to come back then he will not be worrying about losing face.why do you think he ran away ????

You are right. He is probably a wealth man today, and of course he won`t come back voluntarily to testify and get arrested. But loosing face is not about where you are in the world. I still don`t think he will have that smile on his face when he has his face shown all over the news.

[EyesWideOpen]

'records of transactions totalling up to Bt20 million per day'

That's over $600k a day! And the AMLO chief says that his bank accounts are being 'monitored'. How long will they be monitored for? It seems that these amount of transactions for a monk, abbot or whatever, are ludicrous figures at best. Why, oh why does a man of 'faith' have such access to so much cash? The truth behind this will no doubt be quite amazing, not for the lies but for how he got away with it for so long.

And the chances of the real story ever being made public .............. Zero.

I agree 100 %. If " dark figures" are using this for monk for money laundering, the real story will never come out. Although I am still curious how he would get the laundered money back to them... Deposit to an off shore bank??

[winstonc]

religion the biggest business in Thailand.

the biggest FRAUD,,on the face of the planet,,,,,,billions of gullable well meaning people out there,,oh well if it gives them a sence of security crack on,,,,dont be knocking at my door for a donation,,,,

[winstonc]

God create the Thailand Monks and i believe he not doing anything wrong

PLEASE tell me what you have been smoking and/or drinking that could create such mind boggling fantasies?

God didn't create Monks, MAN did.

And if you were a true Buddhist, and had actually read the teachings of Buddha, you would see and KNOW that this man has violated every principle of Dharma, that Buddha taught.

There is no God in Buddhism.

lets just tell the truth,,,,THERE IS NO GOD,,,,,,,PERIOD,,,,,,,,,

[chooka]

religion the biggest business in Thailand.

the biggest FRAUD,,on the face of the planet,,,,,,billions of gullable well meaning people out there,,oh well if it gives them a sence of security crack on,,,,dont be knocking at my door for a donation,,,,

100% true just a bunch of people with imaginary friends.

[how241]

It's a sad day when a monk who has taken all sorts of vows can't accept generous gifts from devotees who are assured of a better life in the hereafter.

+1

[biplanebluey]

What a shame this is to the monks who takes their vows seriously and devote their lives to helping other people.

I bet he doesn`t have that smile on his face today.

What do you think is going to wipe the smile off ? The authorities have given him a week to "distribute" the money and he can now retire with goodness knows how many millions.Throw away the robes---get some expensive fancy clothes---finish off the alterations and additions to the French mansion----stock up the wine cellar and relax--- Here's to my new life !!! BYE

I don`t think it is as easy as that. He might just have a small % of the money laundering, if that is what this is. We have no way of knowing that do we.

Just the fact that he got caught and got his face shown publicly should wipe his smile off his face. (Talk about loosing face.)

NAIVE !!!!!

[biplanebluey]

If he cannot be brought back from his French mansion--- Or perhaps does not want to come back then he will not be worrying about losing face.why do you think he ran away ????

You are right. He is probably a wealth man today, and of course he won`t come back voluntarily to testify and get arrested. But loosing face is not about where you are in the world. I still don`t think he will have that smile on his face when he has his face shown all over the news.

You're really not with it are you.A man with his money can just disappear and start a new life------With a new identity. In this modern world it is so easy---ALL YOU NEED IS MONEY

[Espen]

NAIVE !!!!!

Can you elaborate on your statement please? Or are you just throwing words out in the air?

[catweazle]

My wild guess would be this is just the tip of the iceberg... Instead of hunting down foreigners like dogs for minor offenses like overstays, expired work permits, etc. the "officials" should be checking out all monasteries in Thailand and scan monks' private records and bank accounts (what does a monk need a bank account for in the first place if he lives the way Buddha taught?). Im quite sure that the officials in charge would find and be able to freeze enough dough to run the whole country for a century without anyone having to pay a single Baht in taxes during those golden 100 years. But then, we all know that "officials" in Thailand chose their job not to serve the people but themselves... Well, then better let the monks have it and them spend it on women, booze, computers, and luxurious articles, cars and villas and yachts - the "officials" already have enough. Equal rights for everyone, right?

If I would not know for sure that each of those fraudsters in their orange robes will one day stand in front of a big panorama view of their life exposing all of their wrongdoings to everyone in heaven (or hell), I would not be able to handle news like this one (or older incidents involving Thai monks, like the "dog lover story" or the monk who collected luxurious Mercedes limousines to build a Mercedes museum "for the poor" somewhere north of Bangkok) that easy and have a laugh about it.

Is money evil? No, but it will bring out the best or the worst in a person for everyone to see.

Nice touch also that the accused currently is "abroad" whatever that means...

[Espen]

If he cannot be brought back from his French mansion--- Or perhaps does not want to come back then he will not be worrying about losing face.why do you think he ran away ????

You are right. He is probably a wealth man today, and of course he won`t come back voluntarily to testify and get arrested. But loosing face is not about where you are in the world. I still don`t think he will have that smile on his face when he has his face shown all over the news.

You're really not with it are you.A man with his money can just disappear and start a new life------With a new identity. In this modern world it is so easy---ALL YOU NEED IS MONEY

It is you who are not with it when it comes to my original post. (It was you who commented on my post after all.)

You may think he is smiling all the way to the bank, and I don`t disagree with you on that. But if he has any relations with anyone in Thailand where he comes from, I still don`t think he will be smiling now, like he did on the picture, (which was the point) since he got caught.

He has probably enjoyed a "high" standard among his peers before this. (Building a monestary and all.)

But please keep on bickering, I don't mind.

[DekDaeng]

Note to Si Sa Ket fire brigade; keep your engines running this weekend.

[bigdod]

Xxxx me... I guess I shouldn't be surprised as pretty much every religion's been at it since the dawn of time, so why should these be any different...especially here..

[Frank James]

Two million a day churning through x accounts? This is the very definition of money laundering. Stashing questionable off the book baht with a "monastery" probably had great appeal to certain people (WHO?). They are going to be very unhappy when all of these "assets" are seized. Better the swinging monk stays in France.