Ways sought to reveal temple assets to prevent corruption

[snoop1130]

Ways sought to reveal temple assets to prevent corruption

By The Nation

 

 

The National Office of Buddhism (NOB) is to meet with the Supreme Sangha Council (SSC) to find ways to make temple assets public for transparency and to prevent corruption, Deputy Prime Minister Wisanu Krea-ngarm said on Monday.

 

Citing a recent talk with Omsin Cheewapreuk, the minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office who is in charge of the NOB, Wisanu said transparency has been a long-standing issue and there were many ways for temple assets to be disclosed to the public.

 

He said it was up to concerned agencies to find the appropriate way that would not go against the law or the cleric rules, or make the Thai Buddhist community feel uneasy. 

 

Currently, each temple has a “Vaiyavajakorn” layperson temple affairs manager to handle financial matters along with an abbot. But such a system does not have punishments in case of violations, therefore the NOB and SSC should discuss the problem, he said.

 

Meanwhile, former senator and charter drafter Paiboon Nititawan on Monday urged authorities to probe whether abbots of the 12 temples were involved in the alleged embezzlement of Bt60 million in temple maintenance funds. 

 

Paiboon also urged Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to order temples to have a proper accounting system and open the temple’s asset list to prevent corruption.

 

The comments followed a recent case in which four NOB officials were accused of corruption in office by siphoning Bt60 million from the temple maintenance funds of 12 temples in six provinces, while four other civilians were accused of aiding and abetting crime. The 12 involved temples were in Ayuthaya (1), Lamphun (1), Phetchaburi (1), Chumphon (1), Amnat Charoen (3) and Lampang (5).

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30317866

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-6-12

[smedly]

wow someone is reading my posts 

 

the big black hole of financials and temple needs to be regulated

 

 

Who is brave enough to take it on

 

cornerstone of religion but also money corrupts come face to face 

 

and that is obvious to most observers

 

IMO the most corrupt 

 

This is not Buddha, huge temples with assets worth billions...........cars - private jets realestate - political activists - guns ...seriously, nothing at all to do with Buddha or its teachings

 

I wish ordinary Thai people could see what is right in front of them........................corruption on the highest level possible

 

Orange

[wakeupplease]

Corruption in Temples, Churches & mosques, well well its only taken a few hundred years to suss that out, no wonder this is the 3rd world.

Edited June 12, 2017 by wakeupplease

[graemeaylward]

Why is it so difficult? All public bodies from Central Government to temple to amphur, to whatever should publish audited accounts annually! Has anyone ever seen the accounts for the Government Lottery? Is any of it returned to the people for community projects or charitable works? I doubt it.

Sent from my Lenovo A3000-H using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[wakeupplease]

25 minutes ago, graemeaylward said:

Why is it so difficult? All public bodies from Central Government to temple to amphur, to whatever should publish audited accounts annually! Has anyone ever seen the accounts for the Government Lottery? Is any of it returned to the people for community projects or charitable works? I doubt it.

Sent from my Lenovo A3000-H using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Government Lottery?

 

Not A Chance did not 1 pm fill his pockets and lots of women all over Bk on the Lottery? Yes He Did

[mikebell]

Almost every town/village has at least three temples - all vying for 'customers' to bleed with fake promises about the afterlife.  Thailand is an adman's paradise; the ignorant peasants are kept that way so the VIPs can fleece them.

[klauskunkel]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Currently, each temple has a “Vaiyavajakorn” layperson temple affairs manager to handle financial matters along with an abbot. But such a system does not have punishments in case of violations,

in other words: if you have a different "system" you can embezzle with impunity? So the justice system is not the same for a crime at a temple vs the same crime at a company?

[rkidlad]

Religion here is just a way to make money. Temples being corrupt and people wying inanimate objects and miserable monks in the hope Buddha sees and rewards them with cash money. 

 

Selfish, nonsensical abhorrence. 

[ddavidovsky]

According to the OP, it's the NOB - a government office - that is guilty of embezzling the temple funds, not the abbots.

Investigating the abbots sounds like deflection.

[colinneil]

4 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

According to the OP, it's the NOB - a government office - that is guilty of embezzling the temple funds, not the abbots.

Investigating the abbots sounds like deflection.

NOB, Abbots they are all dipping in the coffers, most of them think i take just a little, then little becomes a lot.

[ddavidovsky]

11 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Religion here is just a way to make money. Temples being corrupt and people wying inanimate objects and miserable monks in the hope Buddha sees and rewards them with cash money. 

 

Selfish, nonsensical abhorrence. 

Put away the faux outrage. This is not just a Buddhism issue. Check and see how much money is donated to the church in the US - also in the name of absolution/salvation.

And it's voluntary. If people want to chuck their money away on religion in the illusion that it's good for their souls, that's their business. And I should say it's better spent than on crass consumer products.

 

Edited June 13, 2017 by ddavidovsky

[ddavidovsky]

2 minutes ago, colinneil said:

NOB, Abbots they are all dipping in the coffers, most of them think i take just a little, then little becomes a lot.

Do you have proof that all the abbots are embezzling? Or just prejudice?

[colinneil]

1 minute ago, ddavidovsky said:

Do you have proof that all the abbots are embezzling? Or just prejudice?

 

 

Not predjudice, recently a temple in this village kicked out the Abbot because he was helping himself to temple funds.

What more proof is required?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ddavidovsky]

3 minutes ago, colinneil said:

 

 

Not predjudice, recently a temple in this village kicked out the Abbot because he was helping himself to temple funds.

What more proof is required?

 

You're extrapolating from just one case? Buddhism is so huge in Thailand there are bound to be some bad eggs, just as there are bound to be saints.

You said all abbots. I know you were just mouthing off, but if you're actually, in all seriousness, accusing all abbots of committing a crime without having any evidence, that's libel on a massive scale.

[colinneil]

Just now, ddavidovsky said:

You're extrapolating from just one case? Buddhism is so huge in Thailand there are bound to be some bad eggs, just as there are bound to be saints.

You said all abbots. I know you were just mouthing off, but if you're actually, in all seriousness, accusing all abbots of committing a crime without having any evidence, that's libel on a massive scale.

You asked for proof, i answered, now please take off your blinkers and look around, see what is going on. Stop getting excited about things you cannot control.

[rkidlad]

29 minutes ago, ddavidovsky said:

Put away the faux outrage. This is not just a Buddhism issue. Check and see how much money is donated to the church in the US - also in the name of absolution/salvation.

And it's voluntary. If people want to chuck their money away on religion in the illusion that it's good for their souls, that's their business. And I should say it's better spent than on crass consumer products.

 

It's faux outrage 'cos it happens elsewhere?

 

Is it also faux outrage when someone kills a child here? Because it happens in other countries too.

 

Life's injustices are not a competition. I'm an atheist who despises the ideas of religion. It's not selective to one type. This post is in direct response to the story. 

Edited June 13, 2017 by rkidlad

[gandalf12]

Everything that has been said above applies to ALL religions around the world. People encouraged to have blind faith whilst the people in charge make billions from them.

[fusion58]