Enquiry officers of the Department of Special Investigation and a special public prosecutor will meet tomorrow (Friday) to discuss about a plan to search Wat Dhammakaya to look for its embattled abbot, Phra Dhammachayo, who missed an appointment with the officers today at Klong Luang police station.
Special public prosecutor Mr Kachornsak Putthanuparb said today that he expected a search warrant to be issued quickly because an arrest warrant had already been issued against Phra Dhammachayo.
He explained that a search warrant was needed to search the temple because it is a private property. Also, he said that the DSI had treated the embattled abbot with respect by agreeing with Phra Dhammachayo’s lawyer to meet the monk at Klong Luang police station.
Asked whether police reinforcement is needed for the temple’s search, Mr Kachornsak said the DSI has enough manpower and is capable of doing the job by itself.
At about 3.50 today, doctors treating Phra Dhammachayo notified the DSI that the abbot could not turn himself in as appointed at the Klong Luang police station claiming that he suddenly suffered from dizziness and could not travel out of the temple.
Mr Kachornsak said that DSI had made available an ambulance from the Police General Hospital and a team of three medical specialists at the police station in case the abbot was sick and had to be taken to Thammasat hospital.
Meanwhile, Dhammachayo’s team of lawyers issued a statement insisting on the abbot’s innocence and his readiness to follow justice process. The lawyers also claimed that the abbot could not make it to the Klong Luang police station because he suddenly suffered from dizziness.
