China

Thai police storm Budhist temple in search of monk over money laundering

A group of heavily armed Thai policemen stormed the Wat Dhammakaya temple in the outskirt of Bangkok in hunt for a monk wanted in connection with alleged money laundering.

Reports say the temple which was earlier placed under military control was raided by police on Thursday after previous attempts were thwarted when thousands of the monk’s devotees turned up in his defense.

Reports say Thai police believes the spiritual leader is hiding inside the large compound.

The monk in question, Phra Dhammajayo is accused of embezzling funds from the huge temple in Bangkok, but when officers attempted to search the site last June they were blocked by his supporters.

The 72-year-old abbot has remained inside the temple for months, saying he is too ill to face officials. He denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated.