Prime Minister’s Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said the issue involving the temple in Pathum Thani would serve as a lesson for relevant parties to see the importance of managing temples’ assets in a way that complied with the law and monastic rules.

“This issue should not be viewed as a crisis only. It’s a good opportunity for the relevant parties to reform the affairs of Buddhism,” he said. “Temple assets should be managed in line with the law and monastic rules to maintain faith from the worshippers.”

Suwaphan said that any practices viewed as improper should not be continued.

He urged the National Office of Buddhism to play a key role in the reform of Buddhist temples in Thailand. The minister added that such reform needed to be done from inside as, in his opinion, pressure from the outside alone could not ensure success.

“I hope the storm will be over and good things will return to society,” he said.

The Dhammakaya Temple has been under the media spotlight as its controversial abbot, Phra Dhammachayo, is wanted by the Department of Special Investigation. The temple said that its abbot was seriously ill and is being treated at the premises, so he could not turn himself in to the DSI.

Dhammachayo is accused of colluding in money laundering and receiving stolen items in connection with separate embezzlement cases against a key temple follower, Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, who previously served as president of the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative.

Supachai was jailed for embezzling more than B1.2 billion from the cooperative, much of which was donated to the temple.

Yesterday, Suwaphan maintained that the government was dealing with this case against Dhammachayo in a fair manner and in accordance with the law. However, he added the law must be applied to everyone in the country. Everyone must be equally treated under the law, he said.

DSI officials have been unable to reach an agreement with the abbot’s representatives as to how the agency can inform him of his charges, DSI director-general Paisit Wongmuang said yesterday. They still could not agree on certain conditions, he said without elaborating.

Paisit said both sides would meet again tomorrow to discuss the matter.

At the temple yesterday, thousands of followers took part in a religious ceremony to donate food to temples all over the country. A large number of monks from other temples took part in the ceremony.

Some 30 tonnes of food were collected during the event.