Phra Yantra visits home in Nakhon Si Thammarat



BANGKOK: -- Former infamous charismatic monk Phra Yantra Amaro has quietly returned to his home district of Pak Phanang in Nakhon Si Thammarat from the United States where he has taken asylum for over 20 years.

The former monk is now staying at his sister Mrs Wannee Laongsuwan’s house.

He was still clad in green robe and in long beard.

He allowed some followers to meet and talk Dhamma every morning and evening, but still refused to talk to news reporters.

He was said to arrive last week and would return to the United States on August 5.

Phra Tantra was defrocked and later fled to the United States twenty years ago after facing rape charge of a 14-year-old girl.

Allegations against Phra Yantra had been a very sensitive issue as he has a lot of devoted followers.

Phra Yantra had made a name for himself as an eloquent and profound preacher of Buddhism, whose devotees were increasing by leaps and bounds over the past two decades.

He was also very popular with women followers who find him good-looking and friendly.

Although he spent a great deal of his time preaching across the country and going abroad on religious missions, Phra Yantra officially presided over the Sunyataram Buddhist Centre in Kanchanaburi.

For some two decades, Phra Yantra’s so-called unorthodox Buddhist practices have gone smoothly and unchallenged.

Then from nowhere came serious allegations brought against him by former devotees and followers.

Phra Yantra sought political asylum in the United States to escape the allegations since 1995 and was granted asylum in 1997.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/phra-yantra-visits-home-nakhon-si-thammarat/

-- Thai PBS 2016-07-22

20 years later and he's not much worse than a whole hoards of other horn-dog, greedy and fake monks

all over this country....

It's hard to find the history of this guy online now but I found a little in the following article.

http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-EPT/ben.htm

" In 1994 Thailand's most popular monk made headlines when he was accused of breaking his vow of celibacy with several women. Phra Yantra Amaro Bhikku, a superstar among Thailand's populist evangelical monks, commanded a following of millions, mostly women. A nun accused him of having sex with her on the deck of a ship off Scandinavia. Another woman, a Danish harpist, said that she and the monk had made love in the back of her van on a trip to Europe, while a third, a German psychology graduate, claimed that he had fathered her daughter, now 7. "

I remember hearing after fleeing to the US, one day he got drunk and had an accident while driving which killed a woman. A monk I sat next to on a flight to LAX confirmed this to me. He said Yantra wasn't connected to Thai Buddhism now and was a spiritualist rather than an actual Thai monk. I'd like to find a link to the drunk driving story if possible.

As with fleeing Thailand, these dirtbag pseudo monks who run abroad will also no doubt flee to Thailand or somewhere else when they commit crimes in those other nations. Now that he is back again, you have to wonder why or what did he do that brought him here?

Edited July 22, 20169 yr by Alive

It's hard to find the history of this guy online now but I found a little in the following article.

http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-EPT/ben.htm

" In 1994 Thailand's most popular monk made headlines when he was accused of breaking his vow of celibacy with several women. Phra Yantra Amaro Bhikku, a superstar among Thailand's populist evangelical monks, commanded a following of millions, mostly women. A nun accused him of having sex with her on the deck of a ship off Scandinavia. Another woman, a Danish harpist, said that she and the monk had made love in the back of her van on a trip to Europe, while a third, a German psychology graduate, claimed that he had fathered her daughter, now 7. "

I remember hearing after fleeing to the US, one day he got drunk and had an accident while driving which killed a woman. A monk I sat next to on a flight to LAX confirmed this to me. He said Yantra wasn't connected to Thai Buddhism now and was a spiritualist rather than an actual Thai monk. I'd like to find a link to the drunk driving story if possible.

As with fleeing Thailand, these dirtbag pseudo monks who run abroad will also no doubt flee to Thailand or somewhere else when they commit crimes in those other nations. Now that he is back again, you have to wonder why or what did he do that brought him here?

Was Phra Yantra ever formally charged with anything?

If so, maybe he was waiting for the statute of Limitations to expire.

As I understand it, there is no general SOL in Thailand, but many different SOL periods depending on the area of law and the matter involved.

Was Phra Yantra ever formally charged with anything?

If so, maybe he was waiting for the statute of Limitations to expire.

As I understand it, there is no general SOL in Thailand, but many different SOL periods depending on the area of law and the matter involved.

Alternatively, he may have done a "chalerm" on the witnesses. It has worked on far more serious crimes than his.

Just wondering why the US would grant this guy asylum.

From my understanding (tell me if I'm wrong) the USA and most countries grant when there is a good case that if the person returned they would suffer unlawful prosecution, torture etc.

I remember this case well, he was charged with rape and similar crimes as well as doubts about his finances plus he had a list of female admirers (not only teenagers) who were on basically a roster for his 'needs'.

So why did the USA grant him, asylum?

"He was also very popular with women followers who find him good-looking and friendly" yup that makes perfect Buddhist sense "good looking and friendly" they must be fairly near Nirvana now

Khun Vinai La Ongsawan if I remember correctly...my, they do get around!

Let's not forget his infamous 'spread the Dhamma in Australia' tour, where a credit card given to him by one of his female devotees was used to make "purchases"(most likely Dhamma books) in various brothels and massage parlors,which let to totally unwarranted accusations of him using donations to engage in sexual relations.

Just another day in Thailand complete with dodgy "monks", nothing new, nothing to change, learn to live with it because getting upset won't change the mindset of the sheep who follow these charlatans, plus the government will do nothing - no balls, and the "head of so-called Buddhists is no different.

Edited July 22, 20169 yr by Artisi

When one of the women alleged he was the father of her child, she challenged him to a DNA test to prove his innocence. he refused on the grounds this would be the thin of the wedge -any monk from then on could be unfairly accused of fathering a child, rather he must protect the dignity of monks by refusing to take the test..

Nonsense of course and soon thereafter he fled to USA- God knows why they granted him asylum, he was facing well -founded charges here, not persecution.

And then he first came back a few years ago after the 20 year limit of statute of limitations had passed on his offences.

He had a hold over women, some of my colleagues in the bank defended him to the end.

...obviously anything goes....