The attempted arrest of  Dhammachayo and the legal battles with the Dhammakaya Buddhist sect has been in the news in the past several weeks.   In your opinion, do you believe the sect is being treated fairly or not?

 

Please feel free to leave a comment.

 

For reference:  

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/958311-dhammakaya-temple-asks-protection-from-court /#comment-11419239

 

Here is a recent link on the issue:

 

 

Considering what many government sanctioned institutions are able to get by with, I would seem to think this is a case of discrimination or persecution.   

If what they are alleged to have done is true, and if equal energy were to be applied to the similar cases of alleged fraud and corruption throughout the upper echelons of society, irrespective of connections and political colour coding, yes. However...

The whole country is Corrupt so why not the Monk TIT

What does one say as they follow this comedy of errors. Even astonished does not come close. This guy is running circles around the police, military and the PM who wisely now has learned to curb his outbursts. I think he is trying to stay above the fray. This guy has the ability to appear and disappear at will. Only the Shadows Know.

The survey should include a question to the effect ' is this being handled in the manner you might expect ? '

 

Given that the affair has deteriorated into a ludicrous pantomime of ineptitude, indecision, and dubious sincerity/determination on the part of the state, I think it can be said that it is being dealt with entirely appropriately and normally for Thailand.

 

Fair?

 

You know what it's like.  That seems rather a naive expectation.

No one or group should be above the Law. Thai's sometime make a mockery of the Law. Drunk drivers kill people an run get their heads shaved and pay a few Bht when they should be in prison.

I voted "yes" because I believe the Dhammakaya sect as a religious organization is being treated fairly by the government as far as the government's actions are directed per se not against the sect but to a now "honored" abbot. If the sect follows Buddhist teachings and principles but being misued or manipulated by abbot Dhammakaya, then the Council of Ministers and the Sangha Supreme Council should order that the wat be temporaily closed, completely vacated and strip Dhammakaya temporaily as an abbot until his legal situation has been resovled by the court. 

I wonder about your poll.

 

The key word in the heading is 'fair', but in the actual survey question the key word is 'appropriately'.

 

These two words have different connotations, which is it?

Quote

Do you believe the Dhammakaya sect is being treated fairly by the government?

as compared with the treatment of who? student activists? mushroom pluckers? bridge players? military officers who order the beating to death of their soldiers? Police officers who facilitate the escape of suspected criminals?

Nah, I don't think so. As a fact, nobody is ever treated fairly anywhere, just a fact of life.

48 minutes ago, Caveat Emptor said:

The survey should include a question to the effect ' is this being handled in the manner you might expect ? '

Kind of a loaded question. 

Just now, elgordo38 said:

Kind of a loaded question. 

The two questions on offer can be read a couple of ways and neither are exactly suitable.

53 minutes ago, gchurch259 said:

No one or group should be above the Law. Thai's sometime make a mockery of the Law. Drunk drivers kill people an run get their heads shaved and pay a few Bht when they should be in prison.

 

 

hReminds me of the loud mouth aunty in my extended family. SHe wants to ignore the law and demand she should be allowed to do anything she wants, until somebody upsets her then she complains that the police didn't turn up instantaneously to make a law to support her, since she 's already paid a sweetener. 

The Government/Police have been given the run around and are using kid gloves in this case. There is evidence of multiple crimes and misdoings. I would like to see them go in hard and put this matter to rest. Will this happen.......in my dreams!

what makes this hard is the fact that the police/govt are refusing to simply go in and arrest him, they keep making excuses instead of doing what is required. Have to agree that this wat should be shut down and have all rights removed until such time as they can be cleared of any wrong doing, have any illegal buildings/land removed and a new abbot installed, simply being a religious organization should not mean that they are above the law. If the Sangha Supreme council care anything for the buddhist religion they would be involved in making this happen, by simply ignoring what is happening they are showing just how low religion has sunk here, time for this farce to end along with all the suspect corruption involved in many of the other temples in the country, religion needs to be above this or its no longer serving ts purpose.

19 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

Kind of a loaded question. 

Correct , as the answer is already more than apparent. ..

What is " Dhammakaya sect" ?

Is the authority after Dhammachayo or the Dhammakaya sect. The survey questions are kind of strange.