At 10am yesterday (July 23), Phuket Defence Officer, Jiradech Burarak, and Director of the Phuket Buddhism Office, Wathin Klodtem, Phuket City police, forestry officials and Marine Office officials arrested Adul Phongsuwan or Phra Adul Panyatharo, 53, from Nakhon Pathom, at a hut set up on a beach on Koh Sirey.
The arrest came after officials received complaints from local people of Adulʼs inappropriate behaviour which did not reflect on him being a monk.
Adul claimed that was a monk and that he came from a temple in Nakhon Pathom. However, after making investigations it was found has never been ordained as a monk.
When officials searched his make-shift monastery, to which he claimed to be the abbot, they did discover Buddhist relics, images along with charms, a skull, tools used for tattooing, tonics and pornographic matertial including cds, dvds and magazines.
Officials also found womenʼs Thai identification cards and copies of letters to government officials including one to the PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha asking for B700M to fund the building of a Buddhist image of Phra Narai to honour HMJ the Queen on her birthday on August 12.
Mr Wathin said that many people in Koh Sirey had complained that Adul behaved inappropriately as a monk, he lured people into practicing superstition, charming and voodoo, and he also came out late every day to collect alms in front of the Kaset market.
“Officials went to the market and found five monks including Adul. When we checked the monkʼs details we found that four were in fact monks from nearby temple and had been advise by Phra Kru Meita about the time to collect alms.
“However, Adul have no documents stating he was a monk, and when we checked with the temple that he said he came from they had never heard of him,” he said.
Phuketʼs head monk, Phra Kru Meita, had ordered that Adul leave his make-shift monastery immediately.
Police took Adul to Phuket City Police where he is now being questioned about the fraud, and also encroaching on public land.