BANGKOK: Thai police have arrested a Buddhist monk over allegations he embezzled greater than $9 million from the distinguished temple he ran which was funded by donations from devotees.Investigators from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) accuse Abbot Phra Thammachiranuwat from Wat Rai Khing of siphoning greater than 300 million baht ($9.05 million) from the temple’s checking account into his personal.Investigators traced funds from the temple on Bangkok’s western outskirts to an unlawful on-line playing community working baccarat card video games, native media stated.Temples in Buddhist-majority Thailand rely closely on revenue from “merit-making” ceremonies the place worshippers make donations in hopes of gaining luck and higher reincarnation.Police charged Phra Thammachiranuwat with corruption and malfeasance, CIB deputy commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew informed reporters at a press convention on Thursday.“This (arrest) is to assist purify our faith,” Jaroonkiat stated.Authorities have arrested a second suspect and are investigating whether or not others had been concerned, whereas native media reported the abbot has now left the monkhood.Wat Rai Khing, believed to have been based in 1851, homes a duplicate of the Buddha’s footprint.The arrest from one of many Bangkok suburb’s most distinguished temples has triggered vital backlash on social media.“Subsequent time I’ll donate to a hospital or faculty for good causes, not a temple,” one person posted on social media platform X.Others cautioned their fellow Buddhists to stay agency of their religion.“Not all monks are unhealthy. Do not generalise,” one other X person wrote.
