Phra Kru Palad Preeda Jaiboon, abbot of Wat Dok Euang in tambon Sri Phum of Muang district, lodged the complaint at Muang Chiang Mai police station on Tuesday (Feb 3), submitting CCTV footage showing a couple spray-painting the temple’s outer wall at about 1am on Jan 30.
Phra Apiphu Boonthalu, a monk at the temple, told Thai Rath Online that the wall had been repeatedly targeted in recent months, with vandals leaving foreign-language tags and painted symbols. The temple has already spent tens of thousands of baht repainting the wall, only for new graffiti to appear soon after, reports the Bangkok Post.
“We really want the police to find the vandals and take legal action to set an example, and to prevent this from recurring,” Phra Apiphu said.
The problem extends well beyond temple grounds. Graffiti has been reported on residential fences, shopfront shutters and public buildings across the city.
Chiang Mai’s city area has 38 temples, many of them centuries old and considered culturally significant, the monk said. However, nearly all have been targeted by vandals who spray-paint their walls.
Pol Maj Gen Yutthana Kaenchan, commander of Chiang Mai Provincial Police, has ordered patrol units across the city to tighten surveillance and urgently track down those responsible to prevent further offences and copycat behaviour.
Siwa Thamikkanon, deputy governor of deputy Chiang Mai, said the province has received frequent complaints about temple vandalism and has coordinated with the Office of Buddhism, police and other agencies to tackle the issue.
Mr Siwa warned that the problem risks sparking copycat behaviour, particularly in the old city where many temples sit near tourist areas. The graffiti not only creates an eyesore and upsets Buddhist residents, he said, but could also damage Chiang Mai’s reputation at a time when the city is being proposed for UNESCO World Heritage status.