Monk arrested for allegedly embezzling $9 million from temple
Thai police have arrested a Buddhist monk over allegations he embezzled more than $9 million from the prominent 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 more than 300 million baht ($9.05 million) from the temple's bank account into his own.
Investigators traced funds from the temple on Bangkok's western outskirts to an illegal online gambling network running baccarat card games, local media said.
Temples in Buddhist-majority Thailand rely heavily on income from "merit-making" ceremonies where worshippers make donations in hopes of gaining good fortune and better reincarnation.
Police charged Phra Thammachiranuwat with corruption and malfeasance, CIB deputy commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
"This (arrest) is to help purify our religion," Jaroonkiat said.
Authorities have arrested a second suspect and are investigating whether others were involved, while local media reported the abbot has now left the monkhood.
Wat Rai Khing, believed to have been founded in 1851, houses a replica of the Buddha's footprint.
The arrest from one of the Bangkok suburb's most prominent temples has triggered significant backlash on social media.
"Next time I will donate to a hospital or school for good causes, not a temple," one user posted on social media.
Others cautioned their fellow Buddhists to remain firm in their faith.
"Not all monks are bad. Don't generalize," another social media user wrote.
Buddhist temples in Thailand have made headlines for unusual reasons before. Last November, Thai police launched an investigation of a Buddhist monastery after authorities discovered 41 bodies on site which were allegedly used for meditation practices.
In 2022, every single monk at a Buddhist temple in central Thailand was defrocked after they tested positive for methamphetamine. The monks were sent to a health clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation.
Sneak peek: Fatal First Date
Texas mom accused of buying ammunition for son who officials say planned school attack
Trump teases "good news" on Russia-Ukraine war
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
IDF recovers body of Thai hostage
The Israeli military has recovered the body of a Thai national who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip. The remains of Nattapong Pinta were recovered in a special operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. Mr Pinta was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the Oct 7 2023 attack on Israel, and he was killed in captivity shortly after being taken, the IDF said. He had been working as a farm labourer on the Nir Oz kibbutz in southern Israel, just a few miles east of Gaza's border, when he was abducted. The Thai national is the most recent hostage whose body has been found. On Thursday, the Israeli military recovered the bodies of US-Israeli dual citizens Judith Weinstein Haggai, 70, and Gad Haggai, 72, who were both residents of the same kibbutz where Mr Pinta worked. Israeli authorities have said they believe all three of the recently found hostages were murdered by the terrorists who kidnapped them. The attack that Hamas launched on Oct 7 surprised and devastated Israel, with the terrorist group killing more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of security personnel, and taking over 200 hostages. About 30 Thais were abducted that day. Roughly two-thirds of those kidnapped on Oct 7 were subsequently released as part of deals between Israel and Hamas. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the conflict, the Thai foreign affairs ministry has said. The war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Oct 7 attack, continues to rage on in Gaza. Attempts to broker a ceasefire and peace deal have repeatedly hit roadblocks. Hamas has rejected proposed deals that do not guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and an end to the war. Mr Pinta, 36, who is survived by a young son and wife, was among those taken after he'd migrated to Israel as an agricultural labourer in 2022. At the time of the Oct 7 attack, there were about 30,000 Thai migrant workers in Israel. Many of them returned home primarily via government evacuation flights, and some vowed never to return, given the risks they faced due to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Since then, however, the Thai government has continued to grant permissions for its citizens to work in Israel. Thais remain the largest group of foreign farm workers in Israel, with about 38,000 in the country, according to Thai officials. There are 55 hostages remaining in Gaza, though only about 20 of them are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli authorities. Israel said its expanded offensive in the Strip, named Operation Gideon's Chariot, will increase the chances of returning the missing. However, many of the hostages' families have expressed alarm at the new tactic of seizing and holding territory, which follows heavy bombardment, and are urging Benjamin Netanyahu to make a deal with Hamas. The Thai Embassy has been notified about Mr Pinta, according to the prime minister's office. 'We express our deep gratitude and appreciation to our brave commanders and soldiers for this important and successful operation,' said a statement from Netanyahu's office. 'We will not rest and we will not be silent until all our hostages are brought home – both the living and the deceased.' 'We stand with Nattapong's family today and share in their grief,' an Israeli hostage support group said in a statement. 'While the pain is immense, his family will finally have certainty after 20 terrible and agonising months of devastating uncertainty,' the statement said. 'Every family deserves such certainty to begin their personal healing journey.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Family of Turkish immigrant killed in DWI crash sues NYC bars for allegedly over-serving driver
The family of a Turkish immigrant killed by a drunken driver claims three downtown Manhattan bars should be held responsible for his death. Mahbub Ali, of Astoria, was allegedly 'visibly intoxicated' when he visited Barcade Downtown, Harry's on Wall Street and Klong, where he drank over a nearly six-hour stretch, the victim's family said in a lawsuit. But the watering holes kept pouring drinks anyway, until Ali's blood alcohol content was .158 percent, nearly twice the legal limit for driving, according to court papers. Advertisement 4 Esiyok, 23, had just landed a delivery job and was living in a shelter when he was struck and killed crossing Third Avenue. Obtained by the New York Post Ali, 28, then got behind the wheel fatally struck Abdulhekim Esiyok as he walked across Third Avenue near East 21st Street in Gramercy, police said. Ali kept going — slamming into an 18-year-old cyclist, two pedestrians on the sidewalk and a parked van before coming to a stop, the NYPD said. He was arrested at the scene. Advertisement Ali went to brunch with a friend in the Financial District around noon on June 4, 2023, before heading to multiple locations to continue drinking, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said. 4 The suit claims staff at Harry's kept serving Ali even though he was 'visibly intoxicated.' Esiyok, 23, who'd been in New York for just a month, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The family is now seeking unspecified damages from the three bars, accusing the establishments in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit filed Monday of violating New York's Dram Shop Act, which holds alcohol-serving establishments liable if they sell booze to someone who is clearly drunk and that person causes injury or death. Advertisement 4 Barcade Downtown allegedly poured drinks for Ali as he racked up a .158 BAC, nearly twice the legal limit, prosecutors said. Taidgh Barron/NY Post 'The family is devastated,' said attorney Samantha Raphaelson, who represents Esiyok's family. 'They're still in disbelief.' Ali plead not guilty to a slew of charges, including manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, assault and driving while intoxicated. The case is pending. 4 Klong, a Thai restaurant on St. Marks, was one of the bars Ali allegedly visited on a booze crawl before the deadly crash. Helayne Seidman Advertisement 'He had an American dream,' Raphaelson said of Esiyok. 'He came here to work hard and provide for his loved ones — and he was killed in a senseless act.' Barcade Downtown, Harry's on Wall Street and Klong did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ali's criminal lawyer declined comment on the lawsuit.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
3 dead, 21 injured in Russian drone and missile attacks on Kharkiv
A large Russian drone-and-missile attack targeted Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv on Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding 21 others, according to local officials, as hopes for peace dimmed further. The warring sides also accused each other of trying to sabotage a planned prisoner exchange, nearly a week after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. Saturday's barrage — the latest in near daily wide-scale attacks on Ukraine — included aerial glide bombs that have become part of a fierce Russian onslaught in the all-out war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. As firefighters and emergency workers bustled around attack sites in Kharkiv, residents described the strikes that damaged their homes and nearly took their lives on Saturday morning. Alina Belous said that she had tried to extinguish flames with buckets of water to rescue a young girl trapped inside a burning building who had called out for help. Firefighters tackle a blaze after a Russian attack that hit a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 7, 2025. Andrii Marienko / AP "We were trying to put it out ourselves with our buckets, together with our neighbors. Then the rescuers arrived and started helping us put out the fire, but there was smoke and they worried that we couldn't stay there. When the ceiling started falling off, they took us out," she said. Local resident Vadym Ihnachenko said that he thought at first that it was a neighboring building going up in flames. "But when we saw sparks coming from the top, we realized it was our building," he said. Ukraine's air force said that Russia struck with 215 missiles and drones overnight, and Ukrainian air defenses shot down 87 drones and seven missiles. Several other areas in Ukraine were also hit, including the regions of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and the city of Ternopil, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in an X post. "To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine," he said. A view after a Russian attack that hit a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 7, 2025. Andrii Marienko / AP The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday said that its forces carried out a nighttime strike on Ukrainian military targets, including ammunition depots, drone assembly workshops, and weaponry repair stations. There was no comment from Moscow on the reports of casualties in Kharkiv. Kharkiv's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said that the strikes also damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 private homes. Terekhov said that it was "the most powerful attack" on the city since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said two districts in the city were struck with three missiles, five aerial glide bombs and 48 drones. Among the wounded were two children, a baby boy and a 14-year old girl, he added. Six people are believed to be trapped under the rubble of an industrial facility in Kharkiv's Kyiv district, The Kharkiv prosecutor's office said in a statement on Telegram. Contact with those trapped was lost and rescue attempts have been ongoing since early afternoon, it said, without naming the facility. In the Dnipropetrovsk province further south, two women, ages 45 and 88, were wounded, according to local Gov. Serhii Lysak. Meanwhile, Russia's defense ministry said that its forces shot down 36 Ukrainian drones overnight, over the country's south and west, including near the capital. Drone debris wounded two civilians in the suburbs of Moscow, local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov reported. An elderly man is assisted after a Russian attack that hit a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 7, 2025. Andrii Marienko / AP On Friday, Russia struck six Ukrainian territories, killing at least six people and wounding about 80. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. A U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine, though the negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs. The sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between its Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasn't budged from its demands. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that Putin told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack on Russian military airfields on June 1. Trump also said that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia "fight for a while" before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trump's comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signaled that he may be giving up on recent peace efforts. Later on Saturday, Russia and Ukraine each accused the other of endangering plans to swap 6,000 bodies of soldiers killed in action, agreed upon during direct talks in Istanbul on Monday that otherwise made no progress towards ending the war. Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide who led the Russian delegation, said that Kyiv called a last-minute halt to an imminent swap. In a Telegram post, Medinsky said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1,200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site at the border when the news came. A woman reacts as she looks on a multi-storey building damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 7, 2025. Andrii Marienko / AP In response, Ukraine said Russia was playing "dirty games" and manipulating facts. According to the main Ukrainian authority dealing with such swaps, no date had been set for repatriating the bodies. In a statement Saturday, the agency also accused Russia of submitting lists of prisoners of war for repatriation that didn't correspond to agreements reached on Monday. It wasn't immediately possible to reconcile the conflicting claims. Monday's talks unfolded a day after a string of stunning long-range attacks by both sides, with Ukraine launching the devastating drone assault on Russian air bases, and Moscow launching its largest drone attack of the war against Ukraine. Ukraine's Security Service on Saturday released a video said to show its audacious attack on Russian air fields Sunday in which Kyiv said that 41 Russian military aircraft was destroyed. The video shows the flight path of one explosive-laden first person view, or FPV, drone — from takeoff from the roof of a modular building to the Belaya air field — where it appears to strike a Russian strategic bomber. Other aircraft are seen engulfed in flames, apparently from previous hits in Ukraine's "Operation Spiderweb." A previous round of negotiations in Istanbul, the first time Russian and Ukrainian negotiators sat at the same table since the early weeks of the full-scale invasion, led to 1,000 prisoners on both sides being exchanged.
