After six hours, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has ended their day’s mission to capture Abbot Dhammachayo of the controversial Phra Dhammakaya Temple after the religious supporters did not let the authorities into their UFO-shaped headquarters.
Pol. Col. Suriya Singhakamol, the DSI deputy director-general, announced at 1:30pm that they gave up their attempt to capture the 72-year-old abbot after they could not get past Dhammachayo’s disciples, who sat in the rain meditating to protect the abbot depsite the fact that they claim not to know his whereabouts, according to Bangkok Post.
Dhammachayo is accused of conspiring to launder money by accepting stolen cash from a credit union.
His arrest warrant was issued last month when he failed to report himself several times for questioning. Lawyers and doctors have said he was too ill to attend.
Meanwhile, Phra Sanitwong Wutthiwangso, director of communications for Wat Phra Dhammakaya, insisted that the abbot is still sick, and he is resting inside the temple today.
When reporters asked Phra Sanitwong if their supporters would be prosecuted for obstructing the mission of DSI, he voiced that if the supporters would be prosecuted, the media would be prosecuted too because “their reporting caused the the supporters to gather at the temple,” Nation TV reported.
Great logic.
Pol. Col. Sanit said that, although their mission had not been completed, officials still had the authority to act under a court warrant to arrest the influential abbot.
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