Compromise agreement worked out between Wat Dhammakaya and Klongchan Credit Union

[webfact]

Compromise agreement worked out between Wat Dhammakaya and Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative



BANGKOK: -- Wat Dhammakaya has agreed to repay Klongchan Credit Union Cooperation 684 million baht in exchange for the cooperative withdrawing criminal charges against the temple and its abbot in a compromise agreement worked out at the conflict mediation centre in the compound of Thanyaburi court in Pathum Thani.

Under the compromise agreement, Wat Dhammakaya and its abbot, Phra Dhammachayo or Phra Thepyanmahamunee, agreed to repay the cooperative 684 million baht which was embezzled from the cooperative by its former chairman, Mr Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, and donated to the temple and the abbot.

The temple will mobilize fund from its followers and the repayment will be made in posted-dated cheques amounting to 100 million baht every month until the entire amount are repaid.

In exchange for the repayment, the cooperative was required to notify the Department of Special Investigation and the Anti-Money Laundering Office about the compromise agreement so that all the criminal charges lodged against the temple and Phra Dhammachayo should be withdrawn.

Representing the two conflicting parties in the mediation talk this morning were Mrs Prapassorn Pongpanpisarn, secretary of the committee for the rehabilitation of Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative, and her lawyers while the Wat Dhammakaya side was represented by Mr Samphan Sermcheep, the temple’s lawyer.

The temple and its abbot have insisted that only 684 million baht were donated by Mr Supachai. But altogether 814 million baht were embezzled from the cooperative.

For the remaining 130 million baht and Mr Supachai, it was agreed that the case should be transferred from the Thanyaburi court to the Civil Court which is deliberating another case against Mr Supachai.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/compromise-agreement-worked-out-between-wat-dhammakaya-and-klongchan-credit-union-cooperative


-- Thai PBS 2015-03-16

[96tehtarp]

Very, very, Thainess.

[Mango Bob]

Money talks, people walk.

[toybits]

This is my reaction...

[Somtamnication]

Already then! All is ok in the land of the head hole in the ground.

[ezzra]

Very smart move and a drop in the ocean for the Wat, and why open a can of worms of investigating

the Wat's dirty laundry any further... unfathomable the riches and the power of a place of worship.....

[klauskunkel]

The temple will mobilize fund from its followers

, follow the leaders,

[JOC]

Gangsters in saffron robes cheating the naive!!

[retarius]

disgusting really....wat is going on?

[clockman]

Is there any sector of society, that is not corrupt?

[tartempion]

Please donate, they need 100 million each month.

The previously donated money is spent, Approximatively 684 million, take or leave a few 100 millions.

[NeilSA1]

". all the criminal charges lodged against the temple and Phra Dhammachayo should be withdrawn" Well I hope they at least pass a suspended sentence to discourage further illegal activities.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Please donate, they need 100 million each month.

The previously donated money is spent, Approximatively 684 million, take or leave a few 100 millions.

That was my question as well...

If the temple and monks are now going to be asking their followers to donate MORE cash in order to fund the repayment, what exactly happened to the hundreds of millions of baht originally given illegally to them from the credit union in the first place?

Of course, the OP article entirely ignores that point.

[Chris Lawrence]

This is my reaction...

One of the best replies I have seen in a long while. Good one toybits.

[Chris Lawrence]

This wouldn't have anything to do with the Police General that got caught?????

Sakdina continues in the attitude the people at the top of society should not be criticised by those lower than them and creates a culture of passive acceptance of authority everywhere, no matter how unjust or corrupt.

Look at the strife that woman from Chiang Mia is in. That was over money? or Rice?

This temple took 684 million baht and thought nothing of it. What they should do is make all religious groups accountable for donations they receive with itemised accounts produced each year singed off by a charted accountant.

Unfortunately it is the same all over the world with rogue religious groups. It’s high time that they are brought to account the same as everyone else. Try it and see how political they get.

[Smokemachine]

The statement is saying the abbot will give back the money with condition that his criminal charges withdraw.

Am I reading correctly?

If they have evidence to charge him, just proceed against him and then get back the money through court order. Money has invested in the temple. Related to the abbot ,just seize the land and temples from him.

Thailand should stop all the bullshit anymore if the current government really want a new start for the Thais.

[phoenixdoglover]

Nobody wants to talk about what happened to all those donations made with embezzled funds. It's mind boggling.

[MaiChai]

But was the temple being used for money laundering? The investigation should continue to confirm either way?

[smutcakes]

Ahh umm a compromise........

[Bung]

The money is already squirreld away. Ill get my followers to give 100 million a month and you dont ask any more questions. Ok? Wish they would just grow a set and set some justice in motion but obviously there is to much poerful people involved. Dust will settle and everything just go on as before. A shame his followers are so stupid to give him any more money.

[SABloke]

How can criminal charges by withdrawn by a commercial entity? Civil...sure, but criminal?

[cup-O-coffee]

And the hits just keep on coming...

[khaowong1]

Wait..... WHAT?

[clockman]

As i have said before, monks are just men in orange robes!

[rametindallas]

Such double standards in Thailand. When Dr. Thaksin had his wife return the Ratchada Pisek land back to the Thai government he asked if that would be enough. It wasn't and they gave him a two year prison sentence. How is it that one of the most venal organizations in one of the most venal countries in the world is now getting that deal? The abbot of Dammakaya Temple, who took donations into his personal account, should be held criminally responsible. I am disgusted and disappointed in the government. (the reason I say that Dammakaya is venal is because they sell salvation for money)

venal: willing to do dishonest things in return for money http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/venal

[Puccini]

Thai friends tell me that Wat Dhammakaya has a low reputation among Thai Buddhists, that it is a weird cult, brainwashing its members.

Image source: https://www.google.com/search?q=dhammakaya&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&imgil=9pC-lLO4M0jJ9M%253A%253BFuCkJaDmVpBFsM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.dhammakaya.net%25252Fen%25252Fdocs%25252Fdhammakaya-cetiya&source=iu&pf=m&fir=9pC-lLO4M0jJ9M%253A%252CFuCkJaDmVpBFsM%252C_&usg=__5KZ_rMVVm8EmnxaFl_vVpth1kBA%3D&biw=1097&bih=555

[webfact]

Temple, abbot agree to return Bt684 million given amid Klongchan scandal
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- DHAMMAKAYA TEMPLE and its abbot yesterday agreed to return donations of Bt684 million to Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative through six instalments in a bid to end legal trouble related to an embezzlement case involving the cooperative.

The agreement was reached at a mediation |session arranged by Thanyaburi Court among the temple, its abbot Phra Dhammachayo and the cooperative.

"Given that we will get the money back, we have decided to drop all complaints against the temple and its abbot," the cooperative's representative Prapasssorn Pongwisarnkul said after emerging from the mediation session.

The cooperative lodged complaints against the temple and Phra Dhammachayo after finding they had received huge donations from Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, now a former chairman of the cooperative.

Supachai is currently facing charges that he played a key role in illegally taking more than Bt10 billion from the cooperative.

Lawyer Samphan Sermcheep, who yesterday represented the temple and its abbot at the mediation session, initially said his clients could not return the money to the cooperative in spite of embezzlement reports. He said the money had already been spent on the construction of religious structures.

However, it was agreed at yesterday's meeting that the temple and Phra Dhammachayo would return the money using a fund established by their followers for the purpose.

Six instalments of Bt100 million

Through the fund, the temple and its abbot will pay back the cooperative in six instalments - the first of Bt100 million.

After the mediation session ended with a satisfactory agreement, the cooperative's lawyer Thapanawat Sasom headed to both the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to declare the co-op's intention not to pursue any further proceedings against Dhammakaya Temple and Phra Dhammachayo.

Pol Major Woranan Srilam, who heads the DSI's special case division, said the cooperative's decision would not affect the department's ongoing investigation into embezzlement at the cooperative.

"Phra Dhammachayo will still have to report to the DSI to provide information as a witness on March 26," he said.

The abbot postponed a meeting with the DSI a few days ago.

To date, Phra Dhammachayo's lawyer has insisted the abbot did not know how much money Supachai gave to him and the temple, let alone how Supachai got it.

The alleged embezzlement at Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative has been a major scandal, shaking several other cooperatives that have lent it money.

Klongchan, for example, reportedly now owes more than Bt543 million to the Nakhon Ratchasima Teachers' Savings Cooperative. The latter is being fiercely criticised by several of its members, who are worried their savings will no longer be secure.

Between March 6 and 16, members have withdrawn more than Bt508 million from the teachers' cooperative, prompting its chairman Thong Wiriyajaru to speak up.

"Our cooperative still has security and stability. We don't have any cash-flow problem," he said.

He added that the cooperative's legal team was trying to get the money back from Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Temple-abbot-agree-to-return-Bt684-million-given-a-30256156.html


-- The Nation 2015-03-17

[96tehtarp]

Thai friends tell me that Wat Dhammakaya has a low reputation among Thai Buddhists, that it is a weird cult, brainwashing its members.

It really is not an ordinary Buddhist temple. It does have many cult-like characteristics. My ex wife got involved with them for a while and donated heavily while they were building their UFO. They even have their own private FTA satellite TV channel, or at least they did have one.

[newatthis]

Pretty lucrative business. Able to guarantee instalment payments of US$3 million (per month according to BP).

[smutcakes]

Nice that the two parties can discuss a compromise, what should be happening is that the executives (particularly the one who was free to give a press conference) and monks involved should be arrested and the relevant state authority should take control about what money goes where and how. Simply amazing that this Union which has defrauded billions from Thai people are seemingly free to wheel and deal their way out of it while everyone just sits and watches.