DSI to seek extradition of ex-monk

[Lite Beer]

DSI to seek extradition of ex-monk
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will contact immigration authorities in 20 countries to seek the extradition of former monk Wirapol Sukpol - known as Luang Pu Nenkham - back to Thailand to face criminal charges, including statutory rape of a minor, DSI director-general Tarit Pengdith said yesterday.

With the Foreign Affairs Ministry revoking Wirapol's passport last Friday, Tarit said DSI Foreign Affairs and Trans-national Crime Bureau director Pol Colonel Songsak Raksaksakul would this week submit a letter seeking cooperation from immigration authorities overseas, particularly the United States, where the ex-monk is believed to be lying low.

Songsak said he would ask the US and European countries for help to locate Wirapol and send them copies of a warrant for the arrest of the ex-monk. He was confident of getting cooperation because Wirapol was wanted for at least three criminal charges - committing public fraud by publishing faulty information on the Net to raise donations, statutory rape of a minor, and taking a minor away from her parents/guardian.

Songsak said the case was different from that involving Winai La-ongsuwan, the former Phra Yantra, who was defrocked after claims he had sex with female followers and fled to the US. Winai at the time had not committed crimes that were universally liable for prosecution.

Meanwhile, Pol Lt-Colonel Kornwat Panprapakorn, chief DSI investigator for the Northeast, yesterday reported progress in the probe into Wirapol's cars.

He said the owner of a Mercedes Benz Maybach car, which Wirapol reportedly bought and used for a while before selling it back to the owner because he claimed he couldn't pay instalments, would testify to DSI investigators on July 24. Kornwat said the alleged action of buying a car just to resell it to the owner and then buy more new cars, sometimes up to six cars at a time, was suspicious. He said DSI would get information from car dealers in Ubon Ratchathani to further investigate such suspicious action.

In further news, Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) officials yesterday searched a car accessory shop in Ubon's Muang district, which reportedly supplied 35 cars to Wirapol and allegedly had transactions worth Bt30 million with the former monk.

AMLO also seized 17 vehicles held by shop owner Suparat Wiriyapong and urged him to show legal ownership documents.

In the afternoon the AMLO team went to Wat Pa Santitham in Kantharapirom district, where Wirapol was previously located. They then visited houses belonging to Wirapol's relatives' and seized 59 items, thought to be assets that were illegally obtained.

Some 15 monks and novices previously at Wat Pa Santitham have also left and reported to their supervising temples.

-- The Nation 2013-07-21

[OzMick]

Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz. My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends...........

Edited July 20, 2013 by OzMick

[bigbamboo]

This would make a good film.

Shame it would probably be banned in Thailand though.

[PatOngo]

One week to initiate proceeding against the monk.................8 years and nothing with regard to the most wanted fugitive???

[Pimay1]

One week to initiate proceeding against the monk.................8 years and nothing with regard to the most wanted fugitive???

No double standards here.

[johntren]

I don't think D***i 'does' extradition treaties. Maybe I'm wrong.

Sent from my GT-S7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NongKhaiKid]

Wow the Lone Tarit, the slowest gun in the east, has finally ridden into town to clean it up.

I like the bit about AMLO urging the shopkeeper to prove he owns 17 suspect vehicles, " urges " ? What's wrong with demanding proof OR ELSE ! I suppose DSI will summons him to attend on a day at his convenience whenever !

The problem here is I am a foreigner and don't understand Thainess.

[OzMick]

One week to initiate proceeding against the monk.................8 years and nothing with regard to the most wanted fugitive???

No double standards here.

Terrorism and theft of a billion baht are not sufficiently serious charges to warrant Tharit's attention, nor perjury apparently.

[RickBradford]

There are many parallels with the 1980s case of Sockwash Bag, whose US commune had 93 Rolls-Royces, and a fascination with sex under the pretence of spiritual enlightenment.

When these guys go off the rails, there are no holds barred.

[doremifasol]

Luang Pu Nenkham,

what a piece of .................work!!!!!!

[sjjmmi]

Wow the Lone Tarit, the slowest gun in the east, has finally ridden into town to clean it up.

I like the bit about AMLO urging the shopkeeper to prove he owns 17 suspect vehicles, " urges " ? What's wrong with demanding proof OR ELSE ! I suppose DSI will summons him to attend on a day at his convenience whenever !

The problem here is I am a foreigner and don't understand Thainess.

+1

Edited July 21, 2013 by metisdead

[lovetotravel]

Good luck with an extradition request to the US. Look at how well Thailand has responded to the case against Juthamas Siriwan.

The request for extraditing the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Juthamas Siriwan has not resulted in a formal response from Thailand, as of August 2012.^[29]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand%E2%80%93United_States_relations#Extradition_request

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/08/01/us-struggles-to-extradite-thai-official/

[trainman34014]

Now they've given all the co-conspirator's enough time to move their cars and cash stashes they can now do something about grabbing him. My guess is that there will still be plenty of people involved at various levels that will not want to see him return....and if he does return i would predict a grisly ending.

[Scott]

Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz. My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends...........

One of my all time favorite songs from Janice Joplin.

[Halion]

In all honesty I can not see this happening as owing to the extremely large amounts of cash involved there can be little doubt that many of his cohorts are from priveledged and protected positions.

Authority in Thailand is duty bound to operate in symbiosis to the priveledged and parasitic to the public. To consider otherwise is delusional.

This is simply the opening aria to a yet another symphony l that will never be heard.

[slapout]

DSI probably better described as the 'department of social injustice'. Remember its a complicated matter and we have to tread carefully so as not to step on any toes of our contributors.

[Misterwhisper]

Good luck with an extradition request to the US. Look at how well Thailand has responded to the case against Juthamas Siriwan.

The request for extraditing the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Juthamas Siriwan has not resulted in a formal response from Thailand, as of August 2012.^[29]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand%E2%80%93United_States_relations#Extradition_request

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/08/01/us-struggles-to-extradite-thai-official/

Hm, that could be a perfect opportunity for the U.S. authorities to offer a deal: "You give us Juthamas, and we'll send you back your ex-monk. Sounds fair, no?"

[Thaddeus]

Authority in Thailand is duty bound to operate in symbiosis to the priveledged and parasitic to the public. To consider otherwise is delusional.

And when they find a bug in the process, the bug gets removed quietly, not put on display.

[bigbamboo]

Good luck with an extradition request to the US. Look at how well Thailand has responded to the case against Juthamas Siriwan.

The request for extraditing the former governor of the [/size]Tourism Authority of Thailand, [/size]Juthamas Siriwan has not resulted in a formal response from Thailand, as of August 2012.[/size]^%5B29%5D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThailandUnited_States_relations#Extradition_request

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/08/01/us-struggles-to-extradite-thai-official/

Hm, that could be a perfect opportunity for the U.S. authorities to offer a deal: "You give us Juthamas, and we'll send you back your ex-monk. Sounds fair, no?"

Always assuming, as others have suggested, that they really want him back.

[Thai at Heart]

Wow the Lone Tarit, the slowest gun in the east, has finally ridden into town to clean it up.

I like the bit about AMLO urging the shopkeeper to prove he owns 17 suspect vehicles, " urges " ? What's wrong with demanding proof OR ELSE ! I suppose DSI will summons him to attend on a day at his convenience whenever !

The problem here is I am a foreigner and don't understand Thainess.

I have said it before.

An urge is followed by a period of mulling in Thai politics.

The mull can be anything from a few days to an. eternity. Next time I see someone in a position of responsibility doing nothing I will ask them what they are doing.

Presumably mull translates as " nang kit yoo". I am not sure what Thai for "urging" could be.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Thai at Heart

[Docno]

One week to initiate proceeding against the monk.................8 years and nothing with regard to the most wanted fugitive???

Wow - it actually took three posts before Thaksin came up in the discussion! We're slowing down...

[Neilly]

Kornwat said the alleged action of buying a car just to resell it to the owner and then buy more new cars, sometimes up to six cars at a time, was suspicious

I think he deserves a prize for that bit of detective work

Here, have this....

[NongKhaiKid]

Always assuming, as others have suggested, that they really want him back.

The extradition request may well get " lost in the post ".

[klauskunkel]

Always assuming, as others have suggested, that they really want him back.

The extradition request may well get " lost in the post ".

Yes, that's why they use copies:

and send them copies of a warrant for the arrest of the ex-monk

[ramrod711]

With the Foreign Affairs Ministry revoking Wirapol's passport last Frid

They revoke fugitives passports? I thought they issued them new ones and urged the US to grant them a visa.

[ramrod711]

With the Foreign Affairs Ministry revoking Wirapol's passport last Frid

They revoke fugitives passports? I thought they issued them new ones and urged the US to grant them a visa.

[Skywalker69]

One criminal not yet sentenced get his passport revoked.

Another sentenced criminal got his passport back.

[hellodolly]

In all honesty I can not see this happening as owing to the extremely large amounts of cash involved there can be little doubt that many of his cohorts are from priveledged and protected positions.

Authority in Thailand is duty bound to operate in symbiosis to the priveledged and parasitic to the public. To consider otherwise is delusional.

This is simply the opening aria to a yet another symphony l that will never be heard.

I would tend to agree with you if he was here in Thailand.

But he is not. He is in the U S without a passport. The states take a much dimmer view of adults having sex with 15 year old's. Also fathering a child with them and then abandoning them.

I wonder if he is in Dubai yet. Seems they like scum.

[hellodolly]

Always assuming, as others have suggested, that they really want him back.

How doers the head of the Buddhism here in Thailand that defrocked him feel about it. They obviously are not turning a blind eye to it. Maybe they want him back and prosecuted to serve as an example of abusing the Monks influence over people.

Now that would make for an interesting scene here in Thailand the Buddhist Government trying to sweep it under the rug while the Buddhist elite of Thailand want him tried for every thing.

[NongKhaiKid]

Kornwat said the alleged action of buying a car just to resell it to the owner and then buy more new cars, sometimes up to six cars at a time, was suspicious

I think he deserves a prize for that bit of detective work

Here, have this....

You know my methods Watson