His Majesty strips fugitive Phra Dhammachayo of patriarch rank
His Majesty the King has signed a royal command to strip Phra Dhammachayo of a senior monk rank, equivalent to a patriarch.
The royal command, which was signed on Saturday, was published in the Royal Gazette Sunday.
The command stripped Phra Dhammachayo of the rank of Thep Yarn Mahamunee or a patriarch rank on ground that he is wanted on a court warrant for allegedly laundering money and embezzlement.
The royal command said Phra Dhammachayo also faced several charges but he refused to surrender. As a result, the government proposed the King to remove the former Dhammakaya abbot of the senior monk rank.
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