Wat Tham Neramit’s abbot denies encroachment charge and vows to fight the case in court

Wat Tham Neramit’s abbot denies encroachment charge and vows to fight the case in court

KANCHANABURI: -- The abbot of Wat Tham Neramit in Kanchanaburi’s Si Sawat district who is facing the charge of forest encroachment has denied the charge, claiming that the alleged encroached land was legally donated to the temple by three villagers.

The denial was announced to the media by Mr Nitat Prasertnetikul on behalf of Phra Khru Visutkanchanakit, the abbot of Wat Tham Neramit in Tambon Mae Krabung, in the presence of several followers of the abbot as well as the spokesman of Wat Dhammakaya followers, Mr Ong-art Thamnitha.

Mr Nitat claimed that he was not a disciple of the abbot but he decided to offer the monk a helping hand for the sake of Buddhism following a raid of the temple by officials from Srinakharind dam national park and police on July 12. The abbot was subsequently charged with encroachment.

The lawyer, Mr Nitat, claimed that the abbot had done nothing wrong as charged because the 86-rai land was donated to the temples by the three villagers. He said that monastic land could not be forfeited unless a law is enacted to make it possible for the land seizure.

He further claimed that the temple was set up before the declaration of the national park. Moreover, he added that the area on which the temple is located was devoid of any forest and it was the monks and their helpers who helped reforest the area.

Nitat said the abbot was ready to turn himself in to the police to acknowledge the charge against him on the condition that he would not be defrocked.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/wat-tham-neramits-abbot-denies-encroachment-charge-vows-fight-case-court/

-- ThaiPBS 2016-08-02