PATHUM THANI - Hundreds of monks prevented soldiers from entering Wat Phra Dhammakaya to renew the search for Phra Dhammajayo on Thursday morning.
About 6.45am around 50 soldiers removed barricades at a gate that leads to the Boon Rak Sa building and the temple's main hall. They were confronted by monks and laymen, and a brief pushing and shoving followed.
About 9am lines of about 300 monks and followers moved towards the soldiers, forcing them to retreat. The troops withdrew from the temple compound and ressembled at their checkpoint on Liab Khlong Sam Road, avoiding any further confrontation.
Phra Sanitwong Wuthiwangso, the temple's spokesman, told reporters later that followers did not want the place searched. The brief clash in the early morning had left some followers injured, he said.
Police took six monks and 20 laymen from the vicinity of the Boon Raksa building near Gate 4 away for questioning for the obstruction of the search.
Authorities entered the temple grounds on Feb 16 to search the 2,300-rai complex in Khlong Luang district for its former abbot Phra Dhammajayo. The 72-year-old founder of the sect is wanted for alleged forest encroachment by temple branches in many provinces as well as alleged money laundering and receiving of stolen assets in connection with multi-billion-baht embezzlement of the Klongchan Credit Union Co-operative.
Video by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul
