Abbot arrest for illegal lumber trade



BANGKOK: -- A combined force of soldiers, police and forestry officials yesterday raided and seized lumber, which includes rosewood, valued at more than 50 million baht within the grounds of a monastery located in the Phu Sra Dok Bua National Park in Amnat Charoen province.

It has also been discovered that the abbot of the monastery is complicit in the illicit act as a saw-mill and large number of lumber was stored within the monastery.

More than 3,200 wood planks were kept in the grounds of the monastery.

The monastery is located within the Phu Sra Dok Bua National Park in Nhong Hai sub-district in Senang-khanikhom district in Amnat Charoen province.

The raid followed the arrest of suspects involved in illegal logging close to where the monastery is located.

That arrest produced a customer log-book in which the name of the abbot was written implicating him in the illicit trade.

A large number of different lumber or sawed timber was being kept within the grounds of the monastery cut from protected Siamese rosewood, redwood, rubber wood and Burmese Padauk.

The lumber differ in sizes ranging from 2 – 4 meters in length and there were evidently more of them spread out all over the monastery which has yet to be taken into account.

Authorities revealed that all the lumber was cut from trees that were felled in the Phu Sra Dok Bua National Park.

The felled trees were then brought to the monastery to be processed before being delivered to a major financial backer in Amnat Charoen province.

Amnat Charoen police deputy commander Pol Col Chalermkiat Sriworakhan said the police would find out have who is behind the operation and also who is financing it.

He said they would coordinate with the Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to discover if there was any illegal transfer of money involved.

Amnat Charoen provincial peace-keeping force commander Col Thanasak Mitraphanon said recent investigation has uncovered the name of the possible mastermind behind the operation known as either ‘Sergeant Nor’ or ‘Sia Lor’.

Authorities now have to uncover evidence to show any connection to him and any other individuals to the monastery operation, he said.

Authorities were also attempting to discover if the operation at the monastery was in any way connected to a recent raid in Nonthaburi province where 30 lorries filled with illegal timber cut from forests in neighboring countries were seized because there are many indications that show that both operations are connected, he added.

But the abbot, Phra Wirasak Thit-khuno, defended the accusations stating that the wood were donated to the temple by villagers for the construction of a sermon hall.

He claimed all the wood and lumber were brought here as donations from local villagers. Some were brought here as timber while others donated lumber or sawed timber and he kept them all.

He also said he had done so for many years that is why there is such a large number of them.

The abbot admitted that there is a lot of wood here but they are all from donations to the temple.”

The abbot and three other monks were was later disrobed so that formal charges could be filed and arrests made.

Several villagers did come out to protest the arrest however but to no avail.

The monastery in question was founded around 20 years ago by Phra Wirasak Thit-khuno and authorities believe that the abbot became involved in illegal logging no less than five years ago.

(Photo : ชมรมสื่อมวลชน อำนาจเจริญ)

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/abbot-arrest-illegal-lumber-trade


-- Thai PBS 2015-01-21

"Several villagers did come out to protest the arrest............"

Guess who just became unemployed.

Another criminal in robes off the streets for some time.

More to follow.

Another Thai religious charlatan story.

I think,slowly ,that Monks will come to realize they cannot

just get away with anything,they are not above the law.

regards Worgeordie

Seems there are a whole lot of monks and abbots now being investigated for their bad habits, like the one who had unconscious sex, seems he also had a helicopter pad in a national park.

Then there are the ones mentioned in todays opinion piece in the BKK Post.

So not only the cops, civil servants and pollies are getting there comeuppance.

Lets hope this continues right through society.

Seems there are a whole lot of monks and abbots now being investigated for their bad habits, like the one who had unconscious sex, seems he also had a helicopter pad in a national park.

Then there are the ones mentioned in todays opinion piece in the BKK Post.

So not only the cops, civil servants and pollies are getting there comeuppance.

Lets hope this continues right through society.

Hope not! I became a monk 2 weeks ago, and just ordered my new yacht.

''That arrest produced a customer log-book

in which the name of the abbot was written implicating

him in the illicit trade.''

Maybe it's only a splinter group :-)

Greed never pays off.

Greed never pays off.

if only that were true!

Seems there are a whole lot of monks and abbots now being investigated for their bad habits, like the one who had unconscious sex, seems he also had a helicopter pad in a national park.

Then there are the ones mentioned in todays opinion piece in the BKK Post.

So not only the cops, civil servants and pollies are getting there comeuppance.

Lets hope this continues right through society.

Hope not! I became a monk 2 weeks ago, and just ordered my new yacht.

Would that make you a shipmonk?

"Amnat Charoen police deputy commander Pol Col Chalermkiat Sriworakhan said the police would find out have who is behind the operation and also who is financing it."

and then negotiate to make sure they do not need to publicly name them....

Seems there are a whole lot of monks and abbots now being investigated for their bad habits, like the one who had unconscious sex, seems he also had a helicopter pad in a national park.

Then there are the ones mentioned in todays opinion piece in the BKK Post.

So not only the cops, civil servants and pollies are getting there comeuppance.

Lets hope this continues right through society.

Hope not! I became a monk 2 weeks ago, and just ordered my new yacht.

Would that make you a shipmonk?

Wat? I nearly keeled over with laughter.

I live only 7 kilometers away from there. Ithought I knew that all the hills around were stripped of all the trees, but now I know. Such a shame. Not much forest around. It sucks.

I read the headline and thought, oh..... he will just say the lumber was donated. Sure enough.

So I was walking past the wat the other day, and I saw this Thai bloke with a 4x2 on his shoulder going in.

I said "Whatcha doin with that?"

He said "I found this rare exotic timber (dressed all round) on the side of the road, and I thought I would donate it to the abbot. I need to buy some merit cos I been shagging my sister-in-law."

I said "A lot of that goin on lately."

Quote:

He said they would coordinate with the Anti Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to discover if there was any illegal transfer of money involved.

Please please please stop I'm gonna pee myself !!

so it was just another front for criminals

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I think,slowly ,that Monks will come to realize they cannot

just get away with anything,they are not above the law.

regards Worgeordie

Shhhh. Please Monk Suthep might hear you.

The Junta has been talking of prosecuting Buddhist criminal behavior by establishing another government agency. All it really needs to do is use existing criminal laws and disassociate Buddhism as the national religion that requires government intervention. Good luck with doing the latter in the new constitution.