General Paiboon: Somdet Chuang's vintage Mercedes was illegally imported

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General Paiboon: Somdet Chuang's vintage Mercedes was illegally imported



BANGKOK: -- One of the vintage cars in the personal collection of acting supreme patriarch Somdet Chuang was illegally imported, Justice Minister Paiboon Kumchaya disclosed Tuesday quoting a report from the Department of Special Investigation.

He said that DSI director-general Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang would call a press conference to give details about the car in question, a vintage Mercedes Benz, kept at a garage in Wat Paknam Phasicharoen, the residence of Somdet Chuang who is also the abbot of the temple.

He explained that whether the car owner would be held accountable for the illegal importation of the car in question would depend on whether he was aware of the illegal nature of the vehicle or not.



The DSI is due to give a press conference on the matter on Thursday.

An informed source, meanwhile, said that the vintage Mercedes Benz was imported in CKD (complete knock down) form by one person to avoid paying high taxes and later illegal assembled with a license. Also a signature in documents during the car registration process was fake.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/151192


-- Thai PBS 2016-02-17

[leeneeds]

Some one never got paid!

[MaiChai]

Monks and classic car collections? Monks with with hundreds of illegally kept tigers? Monks with private jets? Monks with designer hand bags? Monks swimming in the sea? Monks with ufo style temples and cult following. Me thinks alot of monks have forgotten what being a Buddhist monk is?

Edited February 16, 2016 by MaiChai

[simon43]

Monks and classic car collections? Monks with with hundreds of illegally kept tigers? Monks with private jets? Monks with designer hand bags? Monks swimming in the sea? Monks with ufo style temples and cult following. Me thinks alot of monks have forgotten what being a Buddhist monk is?

You foreigner, not understand.

Thai monks not like other monks, not same

[trogers]

Monks and classic car collections? Monks with with hundreds of illegally kept tigers? Monks with private jets? Monks with designer hand bags? Monks swimming in the sea? Monks with ufo style temples and cult following. Me thinks alot of monks have forgotten what being a Buddhist monk is?

You foreigner, not understand.

Thai monks not like other monks, not same

Thai monks like Buddha jumped over the wall?

[Ricardo]

Monks and classic car collections? Monks with with hundreds of illegally kept tigers? Monks with private jets? Monks with designer hand bags? Monks swimming in the sea? Monks with ufo style temples and cult following. Me thinks alot of monks have forgotten what being a Buddhist monk is?

You foreigner, not understand.

Thai monks not like other monks, not same

Counterfeit monks, in the Land of Counterfeits, time for a Crackdown !

[Thian]

Stop waisting energy on this old car, better focus on the 300 firetrucks who are rotting away while they could be saving lifes.

[ezzra]

Stop waisting energy on this old car, better focus on the 300 firetrucks who are rotting away while they could be saving lifes.

Somebody will rescue those fire trucks when they will become a collector's item, like in about

30-40 years....

[Searat7]

None of those vehicles were assembled from imported parts. It should be a crime to make such a claim; I seriously doubt any cars currently in Thailand were assembled here and the law should be change to remove this loophole.

[SOTIRIOS]

....'ignorance' is not an excuse....

[Geoffggi]

Monks and classic car collections? Monks with with hundreds of illegally kept tigers? Monks with private jets? Monks with designer hand bags? Monks swimming in the sea? Monks with ufo style temples and cult following. Me thinks alot of monks have forgotten what being a Buddhist monk is?

You foreigner, not understand.

Thai monks not like other monks, not same

This is true, a friend of mine went to visit a monk as him and his Thai wife were about to purchase a new car, however my friend was a little concerned at having someone telling them what colour & date to purchase the car as this particular monk was someone my friend used to buy under the counter cigarettes from only a month before

[zaZa9]

"He explained that whether the car owner would be held accountable for the illegal importation of the car in question would depend on whether he was aware of the illegal nature of the vehicle or not"

Not knowing the law is no excuse for breaking it ...

[sawadee1947]

I have always a problem when I read something about monks:

having private planes

having Apartmnts and villas

Having gold and diamonds

having land and other properties

having vintage cars

having expensive luxurous cars

having children

having girls

for my undertstanding they are to serve God and Buddha only and not looking to get rich.

But probably it's one of those businesses.....

in the last years many young guys full of tattoos fled Burma pretending to be prosecuted (what might be right, but as criminals) looking for shelter and pretend to serve their belief. Belief in getting greedy and getting rich.

I'm slightly dissapointed.

[LannaGuy]

impossible! as monks own nothing and have NO belongings let alone expensive vintage cars

[CantSpell]

impossible! as monks own nothing and have NO belongings let alone expensive vintage cars

Not sure we live in the same country

[TPI]

Think about it, a man sat under a tree until he saw that he was a part of everything! In Thailand, a man sat in his private jet and/or took money for predicting numbers and/or good fortune and professed to be like the first man?

Who would you like to model yourself after.....to Thais this is not even a question!!

[NickJ]

Hey the Catholics do it too. Use the poor to build fortunes......

[torpedo1970]

this is no news.

I would have been more surprised if it was taxed and legally imported....

after all

TIT

[CWMcMurray]

Monks and classic car collections? Monks with with hundreds of illegally kept tigers? Monks with private jets? Monks with designer hand bags? Monks swimming in the sea? Monks with ufo style temples and cult following. Me thinks alot of monks have forgotten what being a Buddhist monk is?

You foreigner, not understand.

Thai monks not like other monks, not same

It's not that I don't agree with the sentiments... But it shouldn't surprise anyone who knows anything about any organized religion around the world

But wonder how many Benz you would find in Vatican City..

Just found the below article on Catholic Priests

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2014/08/us/american-archbishops-lavish-homes/

The business of saving souls is certainly enriching...

Edited February 17, 2016 by CWMcMurray

[Artisi]

Monks and classic car collections? Monks with with hundreds of illegally kept tigers? Monks with private jets? Monks with designer hand bags? Monks swimming in the sea? Monks with ufo style temples and cult following. Me thinks alot of monks have forgotten what being a Buddhist monk is?

Did they ever Know?

[Artisi]

Stop waisting energy on this old car, better focus on the 300 firetrucks who are rotting away while they could be saving lifes.

But that's different and not important, dodgy cars owned by dodgy monks is very important to the welfare of Thailand and its people...

[oldsailor35]

All Thai monks are very honest men, Khun Suthep became a monk did'nt he .

[Nobb]

How can any one really trust a Thai Monk. Fighting with police and Army, drugs and many affairs with women. They want Buddha to be the religion in Thailand. These monks are not worthy to represent Thai. All they want is a free meal and do not have to work. They all have credit cards and some with cars and airplanes. Not what Buddha wanted and his laws were against it!

[timendres]

"He explained that whether the car owner would be held accountable for the illegal importation of the car in question would depend on whether he was aware of the illegal nature of the vehicle or not"

Not knowing the law is no excuse for breaking it ...

Not quite the same as not knowing the law. I may know that not paying an import duty is a crime, but if I purchase the vehicle in good faith, and I am provided with documents that make me believe the duty tax was paid, I did not really break that law - the person who sold it to me did.

[timendres]

How can any one really trust a Thai Monk. Fighting with police and Army, drugs and many affairs with women. They want Buddha to be the religion in Thailand. These monks are not worthy to represent Thai. All they want is a free meal and do not have to work. They all have credit cards and some with cars and airplanes. Not what Buddha wanted and his laws were against it!

I was not aware that Buddha had laws. And I suspect we might be surprised by his take on these materialistic monks.

[LannaGuy]

impossible! as monks own nothing and have NO belongings let alone expensive vintage cars

Not sure we live in the same country

hope you get the sarcasm unlike Billd

[mrrizzla]

As the Buddha sat peacefully under the Bodhi tree he summoned his followers to come and listen to his wisdom "Come here my children" he said softly.

Buddha's robed students gathered and sat cross legged in front of the enlightened one, so eager to hear his words of wisdom.

"My children. When you have attained enlightenment you realise a few things. You need a really nice vintage car. Preferably a 1950s Mercedes for that suave classic look. Oh and if you are really smart and enlightened like me you'll import it into the country piece by piece so you can avoid paying tax. We already save money on tax being a religious organisation so we are really clever and devious! Oh and my children. You should get yourself a nice cream coloured Gucci bag to match with the colour of the Mercedes".

The Buddha's students look at each other baffled.

"Do not look so confused my pupils. Unfettered materialism is what my teachings are actually all about. Well, at least they had been twisted to be when I had a glimpse 2000 years into the future".....

The students then scramble off to rob money from the public to fund a private jet.