Authorities must bite the bullet on Dhammachayo

Dhammachayo is not the first popular monk to face fraud charges in Thailand but he is
certainly the most famous and
commands the largest following. To add to that, his case is made more potentially explosive because his temple is identified more or less with one side of the Thai political divide. The tense standoff over the weekend underscored the highly delicate situation. Understandably, everyone is worried and acting extremely careful, because the case could multiply the trouble in the country drastically.
The issue is social, religious and political. Buddhism is associated with peace, forgiveness and tolerance but none of the noble characteristics may come to the fore when the Dhammachayo controversy reaches new heights in the very near future. The influence of his temple, Dhammakaya, is massive in other aspects, too, namely financial and international. In short, the case is threatening to be a powder keg.
This, however, doesn’t mean the police, prosecutors and judges should be scared into dragging their feet. The case, in fact, is a bullet that Thailand has to bite. Against the political and religious rights backdrop is the issue of law enforcement, which is never the country’s strongest suit. The authorities have two unenviable choices – sweep the case under the carpet and avoid religious-cum-political upheaval, or risk it all in order to set a new standard for the justice system.
There are two types of “justice” in Thailand. The first is for ordinary people and the other is for the elite and privileged. The justice process for a truck driver who kills someone in a road accident is guaranteed to be different from the process involving a Mercedes driver who kills someone in a road rage incident. Everyone knows it, but little has been done about it. There are big political cases now and then, but they shouldn’t count, because they are handled how the political winds blow.
In Thailand, money can “buy” justice and social or political status can influence outcomes of legal cases. This societal illness also inflicts the political spectrum and is more or less responsible for the ongoing crisis. A lot would have been different politically had the system not spared any wrongdoers. This is why the Dhammachayo case is a big test. The popular monk must be treated fairly, but nothing should have to do with his status as the abbot of a high-profile temple.
Monks have been arrested for far “lesser” crimes. Some were caught drinking, gambling or making false donation requests. The charges against Dhammachayo, which he denies, involve staggering amounts of embezzled money. Some court verdicts have been made regarding the case, but legal action against Dhammachayo has been slow for obvious reasons.
That Dhammachayo is facing money-related charges is fuelling the Dhammakaya controversy, which has been simmering for decades. The temple’s success in soliciting enormous donations has spawned doubters and critics. But the sceptics are not alone in closely watching the Dhammachayo development. The neutrals in Thailand are, too. Yet scepticism related to the donations may have to be set aside, for now. Of course, they gave Dhamma-kaya major financial clout, and controversially so, but they also had a lot to do with a large number of Thais’ religious faith, a highly sensitive issue. The authorities closing in on Dhamma-chayo must focus on the allegedly illegal money alone. That’s the only way to pre-empt or contain charges of political or religious bias, a situation that could be blown out of control.
The authorities will have to walk a tightrope. It’s a huge and treacherous task, but there is no avoiding it.