Thailand arrests Buddhist monk over alleged embezzlement linked to AIDS hospice he founded

BANGKOK (AP) — A Buddhist monk famed for establishing a hospice in Thailand for people with HIV/AIDS was arrested on Tuesday over allegations of misusing donations for the project.

Luang Phor Alongkot, also known as Phra Ratcha Wisutthiprachanat, was arrested on suspicion of embezzlement, dereliction of duty and money laundering. A second person, Seksan Sapsubbsakul, who served as a fundraiser for the project, was also detained.

Alongkot, 65, was forced to disrobe when he was taken on Tuesday to the Bangkok headquarters of the police Crime Suppression Bureau, as required before monks can formally be charged.

He has denied any wrongdoing.

Jaroonkiat Pankaew, a deputy commissioner at the Central Investigation Bureau, said the investigation was continuing.

“Initially, the monk cooperated well with the police and was willing to be disrobed without force. He understood the difference between Buddhist discipline and the legal process,” Jaroonkiat told reporters. “I told him that he did things that benefit people and other things that were illegal and he had to bear the consequences.”

Alongkot resigned last week as abbot of the Wat Phra Bat Namphu temple, in the the central province of Lopburi, following weeks of speculation about the possible mismanagement of donations for the care of people living with HIV/AIDS.

While the hospice was considered a pioneering humanitarian project when it was established in 1992, it became less relevant after the development and distribution of retroviral drugs to treat HIV, and with greater public awareness of AIDS.

Alongkot, who had gradually expanded the facilities at the temple, responded by extending treatment to people suffering from other serious ailments. The temple also runs various charities providing funding for the education of underprivileged children.