Prayut said that the arrest of Phra Dhammachayo “will happen when it happens”, but if people still surround the temple, the authorities were better not do it yet, as it could cause a clash.

The premier commented about the Department of Special Investigation’s failed operation last Thursday to arrest the controversial monk following his return to Thailand after an official visit to India. Officials were blocked from entering the Pathum Thani temple by disciples who attended mass prayers at the temple’s entrances, which caused the search operation – backed by a search warrant – to be aborted.

“[Officials were] unable to arrest [the monk] because people acted as human shields. Is this proper? If [the person] doesn’t do anything wrong and is innocent, he should surrender. That’s the end of it,” Prayut said. The law stated that prosecution of offenders must be done in steps, he said, so there was no need to “wait for democracy”, as some of the monk’s supporters said.

Meanwhile, a source at the DSI said the operation went as planned although it had not yielded the arrest of Phra Dhammachayo, and a report was being drafted to submit to public prosecutors and the Criminal Court. That report would affect the court’s decision on whether the monk was released on bail later, the source said.

It was obvious the disciples intended to obstruct officials from carrying out their duties, so the DSI had made video clips and taken photos to identify people who broke the law to pass onto Klong Luang Police to act against them accordingly. The source said the agency could and was planning to apply for another search warrant soon.

Legal action against leading people in this obstruction would target key people, possibly the abbot’s deputies. And the prosecutors’ decision on whether to indict Phra Dhammachayo and five others for money-laundering and ill-gotten wealth should come out in a month, the source said.

In related news, famous lawyer Jessada Anujaree commented that Section 189 of the Criminal Code could be widely interpreted – so even disciples claiming to merely sit and pray could be viewed as blocking the officials’ access to do a warranted search of the temple.

“Even if they are praying, they could make way for the officials but they didn’t move away despite the officials’ request,” he said.

Section 189 states that whoever assists a person alleged to have committed an offence, which is not a petty offence, by giving him lodging, by hiding, or by assisting him by any means so that he may not be arrested shall be punished with up to two year in prison and/or a fine of up to Bt4,000.