Luang Phor Alongkot: resignation meant to clear way for investigation

Embattled Phra Ratcha Wisutthiprachanat, better known as ‘Luang Phor Alongkot’, broke his silence on Tuesday night, following after his resignation as the abbot of Phra Bat Nam Phu Temple on Monday, claiming that he wanted to clear the way for a full investigation into allegations of mismanagement of public donations.

Luang Phor Alongkot is well-known for his decades-long work in soliciting public donations to help and shelter poor people infected with HIV and their children at the temple in Lop Buri province.

He said that he wanted the investigators from various agencies to perform their duties to their fullest, to clear up all the controversies surrounding the temple and its affiliated foundations.

Without elaborating, he claimed that there are some ill-intentioned elements trying to have him removed from the temple.

The former abbot asked for sympathy and understanding, saying that he is just a human being who does not talk much.

He complained that, in the past several days, there have been hundreds of reporters at the temple every day trying to interview him. He said some of them ask the same questions 10 or 20 times and he finds it tiresome to answer the same questions repeatedly.

He said, though, that he is now ready to give information to the media.

Luang Phor Alongkot admits he does not understand how he suddenly became caught in the middle of all the controversies adding, however, that he can endure all the pressures, but reminded the media that there are many children and innocent people taking shelter in the temple who could be affected.

He complained that his reputation, painstakingly built over the past several decades, has been ruined beyond repair. Donations have dried up, as people no longer come to the temple to make merit or donate, which makes him sad because he cannot feed all the patients, he said.

“For example, today, there is not a single baht of donated, compared to 200 baht yesterday. It is like being hit by a storm,” he said, adding that the temple has average expense of about 200,000 baht a day.

“Today, I beg for sympathy and understanding, at least for the patients, some of whom are crying, cannot eat or sleep,” said the former abbot, adding that some patients do not have relatives or homes and they are worried about who will take care of them.

Currently, there about 2,000 HIV positive patients and their children taking shelter at the temple. Some children are studying at a school run by one of the foundations affiliated with the temple. Moreover, there are many cats, dogs and monkeys on the temple grounds, which need to be fed as well.

According to the Lop Buri Provincial Office of Buddhism, the temple has been receiving donations through cash handouts and bank transfers.

Six foundations affiliated with the temple were set up to channel public donations towards charitable and social welfare projects. The temple also owns land in Lop Buri and 33 other plots of land are linked to a former temple administrator.

A well-known medium, identified as ‘Doctor Bee’, is under investigation by the Crime Suppression Division for allegedly misappropriating temple donations.