DSI resumes search-and-arrest operation at Dhammakaya temple for the second day

[webfact]

DSI resumes search-and-arrest operation at Dhammakaya temple for the second day

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officials, police and soldiers resumed the search of Dhammakaya temple to locate it's honorary abbot Phra Dhammachayo after yesterday's failure to find him in over 12-hour of search-and-arrest mission.

 

But today, representatives of the media are allowed to enter the temple’s 2,000-rai premise along with the combined force of 3,000 men to witness the search-and-arrest operation spearheaded by the DSI chief Pol Col Phaisit Wongmuang.

 

He said yesterday’s operation was unsuccessful after authorities could not locate him.

 

He said the team even searched the Daowadueng residence where authorities strongly believed the wanted former abbot slept and was being treated there.

 

However he was not in the bedroom, indicating that he could be removed to elsewhere, he said.

 

Earlier the temple officials and doctors treating him said any removal of the abbot could harm his physical health as he was very sick.

The DSI chief declined to comment that Phra Dhammachayo have already sneaked out of the temple and escaped, but insisted that search would continue today to bring him for court trial.

 

Meanwhile the temple spokesman Phra Sanitwong Wutthiwangso who is the director of the information division dismissed accusation that the temple faked the presence of Phra Dhammachayo inside his bedroom at the Daowadueng residence.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/dsi-resumes-search-arrest-operation-dhammakaya-temple-second-day/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-02-17

[webfact]

Former leading follower believes Phra Dhammachayo still inside Dhammakaya Temple
By The Nation

 

BANGKOK: -- A doctor, who used to be a leading follower of controversial Phra Dhammachayo, Friday expressed his belief that the honourary abbot is still hiding inside the vast temple.

 

On Thursday, officials search some spots that accounted only some 20 to 25 per cent of the temple’s area.

 

Doctor Mano Laohawanit said Phra Dhammachayo was hiding inside the Chan Khonnokyoong memorial building at the time of raid and he was alerted and led by followers to evade the authorities inside the very vast temple with some 2,000 rai of area.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30306553

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-02-17

[Kasset Tak]

Can't they arrest the "new" abbot and everyone else that are making the arrest of Phra Dhammachayo impossible for aiding and harboring a fugitive?!

[NCC1701A]

" along with the combined force of 3,000 men..."

 

next time bring 5000.

[bangkok101]

hilarious, 3500 soldiers cannot find this geezer. What makes them think the abbot is even at the wat? 

 

So much for their un-intel  ("unintelligence").

 

Send a dog in there...root him out.

[Psimbo]

Aged monk runs rings round RTP- gotta love it.

 

If the monks and their followers are all peaceful people with nothing to hide why the face masks. 

[webfact]

Army chief calls on Dhammachayo’s disciples and supporters to step back 

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The Army commander-in-chief has called on disciples and supporters of Phra Dhammachayo, former abbot of the Dhammakaya temple, to step back as authorities continued to locate and arrest him for court trial.

 

The Army chief, Gen Chalermchai Sithisart, made the call after the Army sent several hundreds of soldiers to join in the search of  Phra Dhammachayo with officials from the Department of Special Investigation.

 

He said as the military junta chief has invoked Section 44 of the interim Constitution to declare the temple area and its vicinity special control zone to facilitate the operation, his disciples and supporters should step back to facilitate the operation.

 

He said as evidence was clear that he was guilty and must enter legal procedure, all supporters should understand and withdrew.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/army-chief-calls-dhammachayos-disciples-supporters-step-back/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-02-17

[webfact]

DSI enters Gate 7 to search for Phra Dhammachayo

By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Department of Special Investigation deputy chief Pol Maj Gen Suriya Singhakamol led DSI officials and police to enter Gate 7 of the Dhammakaya Temple to resume the search operation Friday morning.

 

The search on Thursday did not find Phra Dhammachayo, the honourary abbot who is wanted on money laundering charges.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30306554

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-02-17

[colinneil]

Here we go again, this c..p is better than any tv soap opera.

Even the best story writers could not come up with anything better than this.

The people at the temple are making absolute fools of the Thai authorities, and stupid buggers are to thick to see it.

[rkidlad]

Army chief calls on Dhammachayo’s disciples and supporters to step back (Also, he asks if they can come over to his house and do the dishes)

 

Do your job and stop putting the onus on other people. 

 

 

[Thailand]

[webfact]

Thai police find only medical kit in search for fugitive monk

By Aukkaraporn Niyomyat

REUTERS

 

Thai army personnel stand outside Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani province, Thailand February 16, 2017.REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police hunting a fugitive Buddhist monk discovered medical equipment in the temple rooms where they had expected to find him and will keep searching, an officer said on Friday.

 

The military government used an emergency law on Thursday to let police explore the scandal-hit Dhammakaya Temple after months of failing to get it to hand over Phra Dhammachayo in a politicised money-laundering case.

 

The Dhammakaya Temple has said its former abbot, 72, is too sick to face questioning and has not been seen for months.

 

The head of Thailand's Department of Special Investigation said police went to the place they had expected to find the monk, but discovered only a bed and a hyperbaric chamber - a high-pressure oxygen device that can be used to promote healing.

 

"They said he was sick and immobile. But we didn't find him yesterday, which means he can move," Paisit Wongmuang told reporters. "We'll keep searching for many days. If we don't find him today we'll search again tomorrow."

 

He said they would reassess their search only once they had combed every building in the temple compound, which at 1,000 acres (400 hectare) is nearly 10 times the size of the Vatican City.

 

The temple has been a rare institution in defying the military government. Opposition from political parties and activists has largely been silenced since a coup in 2014.

 

Phra Dhammachayo faces charges of conspiracy to launder money and receive stolen goods, as well as taking over land unlawfully to build meditation centres. His aides dismiss the accusations as politically motivated.

 

The controversy partly reflects more than a decade of divisive politics in Thailand, where 95 percent of people are Buddhists.

 

Although the temple has no overt political affiliation, the abbot is widely believed to have had links with populist former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in 2006. A government led by Thaksin's sister was toppled by the army in 2014.

 

The Dhammakaya Temple's brasher approach to winning followers jars on conservatives, who say it exploits its followers and uses religion to make money. The temple says it is as committed to Buddhist values as anyone else.

 

The new move against the temple comes days after the king's appointment of a new supreme patriarch from the most austere of two Thai Buddhist fraternities. A religious council had earlier recommended a monk with links to Dhammakaya.

 

(Additional reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-17

[scorecard]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thai police find only medical kit in search for fugitive monk

By Aukkaraporn Niyomyat

REUTERS

 

Thai army personnel stand outside Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani province, Thailand February 16, 2017.REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police hunting a fugitive Buddhist monk discovered medical equipment in the temple rooms where they had expected to find him and will keep searching, an officer said on Friday.

 

The military government used an emergency law on Thursday to let police explore the scandal-hit Dhammakaya Temple after months of failing to get it to hand over Phra Dhammachayo in a politicised money-laundering case.

 

The Dhammakaya Temple has said its former abbot, 72, is too sick to face questioning and has not been seen for months.

 

The head of Thailand's Department of Special Investigation said police went to the place they had expected to find the monk, but discovered only a bed and a hyperbaric chamber - a high-pressure oxygen device that can be used to promote healing.

 

"They said he was sick and immobile. But we didn't find him yesterday, which means he can move," Paisit Wongmuang told reporters. "We'll keep searching for many days. If we don't find him today we'll search again tomorrow."

 

He said they would reassess their search only once they had combed every building in the temple compound, which at 1,000 acres (400 hectare) is nearly 10 times the size of the Vatican City.

 

The temple has been a rare institution in defying the military government. Opposition from political parties and activists has largely been silenced since a coup in 2014.

 

Phra Dhammachayo faces charges of conspiracy to launder money and receive stolen goods, as well as taking over land unlawfully to build meditation centres. His aides dismiss the accusations as politically motivated.

 

The controversy partly reflects more than a decade of divisive politics in Thailand, where 95 percent of people are Buddhists.

 

Although the temple has no overt political affiliation, the abbot is widely believed to have had links with populist former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in 2006. A government led by Thaksin's sister was toppled by the army in 2014.

 

The Dhammakaya Temple's brasher approach to winning followers jars on conservatives, who say it exploits its followers and uses religion to make money. The temple says it is as committed to Buddhist values as anyone else.

 

The new move against the temple comes days after the king's appointment of a new supreme patriarch from the most austere of two Thai Buddhist fraternities. A religious council had earlier recommended a monk with links to Dhammakaya.

 

(Additional reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-17

 Any Reuters does it again, failing to include relevant details and facts.

 

In regard to discovering medical equipment, did the search leaders ask for medical records to try to establish the last date of records, and and comments of his actual medical condition on the dishonest monk? 

[Shawn0000]

22 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 Any Reuters does it again, failing to include relevant details and facts.

 

In regard to discovering medical equipment, did the search leaders ask for medical records to try to establish the last date of records, and and comments of his actual medical condition on the dishonest monk? 

 

Medical records are confidential.

[tukkytuktuk]

Latest from twitter..
Monk not found: Pillows made to look like body in Dhammakaya abbot’s sick bed.

[MaxLee]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

DSI enters Gate 7 to search for Phra Dhammachayo

By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Department of Special Investigation deputy chief Pol Maj Gen Suriya Singhakamol led DSI officials and police to enter Gate 7 of the Dhammakaya Temple to resume the search operation Friday morning.

 

The search on Thursday did not find Phra Dhammachayo, the honourary abbot who is wanted on money laundering charges.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30306554

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-02-17

Look at him,..... he is soooo actively searching with this top dogs for the remains of the former supreme monk under the pick up  

[scorecard]

29 minutes ago, Shawn0000 said:

 

Medical records are confidential.

Usually true, but I somehow suspect the 44 order overrides that, in this case.

[Fookhaht]

21 minutes ago, MaxLee said:

Look at him,..... he is soooo actively searching with this top dogs for the remains of the former supreme monk under the pick up  

Here's hoping the abbot left some of his dirty underwear in his hasty flight so that at least the search dogs could get a good scent.  

[Fookhaht]

55 minutes ago, tukkytuktuk said:

Latest from twitter..
Monk not found: Pillows made to look like body in Dhammakaya abbot’s sick bed.

OMG, the abbot must have watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 

Edited February 17, 2017 by Fookhaht

[tukkytuktuk]

Great to see Thailand has a police dog unit. If the Abbot's hiding in the temple grounds these canine friends are sure to sniff him out. The net is closing in, won't be long now!

[prakhonchai nick]

10 minutes ago, Fookhaht said:

Here's hoping the abbot left some of his dirty underwear in his hasty flight so that at least the search dogs could get a good scent.  

I heard that Monks do not wear underwear

[tukkytuktuk]

The dogs are a big hit.

[Fookhaht]

15 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

I heard that Monks do not wear underwear

Another slip-up in this Keystone Cops saga!

[tukkytuktuk]

I heard that Monks do not wear underwear

Saw this also on twitter today..
Also the BBC has a new news report on the temple raid. Just been published. I won't link foreign press due to Thai laws on sensitive issues.

[Fookhaht]

37 minutes ago, tukkytuktuk said:

Saw this also on twitter today..
Also the BBC has a new news report on the temple raid. Just been published. I won't link foreign press due to Thai laws on sensitive issues.

Well, there ya go.  Underwear issue settled.  I personally cannot afford Calvin Klein's myself. 

[Allstars]

2 hours ago, tukkytuktuk said:

Latest from twitter..
Monk not found: Pillows made to look like body in Dhammakaya abbot’s sick bed.

 

Or maybe someone told them that it were pillows, and they didn't bother to look under the blanket

[CantSpell]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"They said he was sick and immobile. But we didn't find him yesterday, which means he can move,"

Everything should go VERY fast: they got Sherlock Holmes in the team 5555

 

No S**t Sherlock??

 

Even Dumb and Dumber would sound like Nobel Price holders compared to this lot 

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Earlier the temple officials and doctors treating him said any removal of the abbot could harm his physical health as he was very sick.

Round up all the doctors and say "Here is the way it is. The first one that tells us where the good abbot is gets a 2 million baht reward. Hands up all over the place" Mission accomplished. When the BIB gets the silver tray award again they just peel off 2 million bahts and there will be lots left for them. Its a win win situation except for the abbot of course. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

Instead of announcing yet another raid before the event I am amazed that all of the parachute wings wearing officers didn't simply drop in at night from a great height.....Surprise!

[Eligius]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

he was not in the bedroom, indicating that he could be removed to elsewhere, he said.

As another poster has indicated: the police chief has the brains and deductive powers of a real Sherlock Holmes: the monk was not in the bedroom - so he COULD [it's not certain] be somewhere else, the policeman said!

 

It is truly impossible to make up lunacy and brainlessness of this high calibre. Only in Thailand could a top official come out with such moronic bilge!