Blitz on Dhammakaya Buddhist temple fails, “corrupt” abbot still at large
The police raided the Wat facilities late afternoon yesterday. Phra Dhammachyao, accused of embezzling 40 million dollars, was not found. Some faithful stopped agents from entering into certain areas of the compound. Police: "We know that the abbot is still inside. Our work is not finished".
Bangkok (AsiaNews) - Phra Dhammachyao, abbot of the Buddhist Wat Dhammakaya temple, one of the richest and most extensive in the world, under police siege since yesterday, has once again managed to avoid arrest.
The 72-year old monk is accused of embezzlement by appropriating 1.4 billion baht (40 million dollars. He was issued an arrest warrant and called to give evidence in court. The religious leader, however, never showed up, pleading health problems.
At 5 am yesterday morning, officers raided the facility - which stretches for about 400 acres - in search of the abbot, but in the late afternoon they had to admit defeat. The operation was conducted "in a peaceful manner", and the policemen were not armed.
Suriya Singhakamol, Head of Investigations, says: "We entered the compound but there is one last area where we have not had access because the faithful blocked it. In any case, our task is not finished. "
At the time of the raid there were 8 thousand faithful dressed in white who were praying in the temple. Several hundred monks and ordinary believers held a sit in on the main compound road, blocking police vehicles.
Phra Dhammachyao’s whereabouts remain unknown, even if the police do not believe he has moved away from the temple. The abbot is charged with having used a credit union (now disbanded) to launder dirty money. In addition, he is suspected of having links with the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (in exile to avoid a life sentence) and the "red shirt" movement which supports him.
During the blitz at Wat Dhammakaya police had the utmost respect for the monks, disrupting operations at 11 am to allow them to have their only daily meal. Phra Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, spokesman for the temple, said: "We had the full cooperation of the police." He then confirmed that "a number of faithful" did block authorities access to certain areas of the temple: "No matter what you tell them, they will not listen. They demand police respect because the abbot is sick. He did not leave the temple”.
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23/03/2017 17:12
10/05/2011
