Monks fail to appear at DSI

THE ABBOT OF Dhammakaya Temple, Phra Dhammachayo, and another monk at the centre of the Klongchan Credit Union embezzlement case have postponed their appointment at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to answer questions about their alleged receipt of huge donations from the controversy-plagued cooperative.
Available evidence suggests that Phra Dhammchayo received more than Bt300 million and Phra Khru Paladwijahn over Bt100 million from the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative’s bank accounts.
The money allegedly came via Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, president of the cooperative at the time of the donations. Supachai is now accused of embezzling more than Bt10 billion.
Pol Lt-Colonel Pakorn Suchee-wakul, who heads a DSI team probing the transactions of the Dhammakaya Temple, said yesterday Phra Khru Paladwijahn had asked to reschedule his meeting with the DSI to March 19.
The monk was scheduled to report yesterday.
Pakorn said Phra Dhammachayo had requested a postponement too but has not said yet when he would be available to testify to the DSI.
“At this point, they are key witnesses. We will allow just one postponement,” Pakorn said. “We won’t agree to postpone it more than once because it can affect our schedule.”
The DSI yesterday also inspected a firm, GLOW Development, and a house belonging to Watchanont Nawa-issararak, who received more than Bt2.56 billion from the cooperative through Supachai.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has already confiscated more than Bt300 million of Watchanont’s assets on suspicion they were illegally acquired. The DSI has said it suspected he might still have more assets hidden elsewhere.
Recordings from a closed-circuit television system show that computers and document files were removed from the office last Friday.
In the wake of the questionable donations for the Dhammakaya Temple and its monks, PM’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said yesterday that he had instructed the National Office of Buddhism to check temples nationwide and stop any activities that might affect public faith.
The National Reform Council’s committee on the protection of Buddhism, however, is now defunct as its chairman, Paiboon Nititawan, announced the conclusion of its mission last Friday. The committee had seriously shaken Thailand’s ecclesiastical field when questions were raised about Phra Dhammachayo and related figures.
In response to his action, the Academics for Buddhism Association and allies have cancelled their plans to hold a big gathering of monks on March 12.
The association’s president, Asst Prof Dr Sathien Wipornmanha, however, has continued to attack Or Noi Temple’s abbot Phra Buddha Isara.
He accused the monk of offending the acting Supreme Patriarch.
Phra Buddha Isara tried to pressure the Sangha Supreme Council, where the acting Supreme Patriarch sits, to strip Phra Dhammachayo of his monk status. Gunshots were fired in front of the Or Noi Temple early Sunday in what its abbot believes was a form of intimidation.
“It’s probably related to my visit to the residence of the acting Supreme Patriarch,” Phra Buddha Isara said.