“I am worried about recent developments,” Suwaphan said yesterday. “I would like to urge all sides to stay calm and let the law run its course.”

On Sunday, Phra Methee Dhammacharn – a prominent supporter of acting Supreme Patriarch Somdet Chuang – urged fellow monks in a Facebook post to rise up in defence of the country’s Buddhism institutions and clergymen.

His move followed the Department of Special Investigation’s (DSI) recent announcement that it is preparing to press charges against Somdet Chuang over a Mercedes-Benz that was registered under his name and was allegedly involved in tax invasion.

Suwaphan said yesterday that law enforcement and security agencies would be prepared to deal with rallies by monks.

He also suggested that agencies had already contacted Phra Methee Dhammacharn to persuade him not to mobilise his supporters.

“I think they have already had some discussions. But I won’t say which agency has done this,” Suwaphan said.

A source said Somdet Chuang could face charges of possessing a vehicle linked to tax evasion and giving false information to authorities related to the registration of the vehicle.

The senior monk’s aides have insisted that Somdet Chuang is innocent of wrongdoing because the antique Mercedes-Benz was given to him and he did not know how the vehicle was acquired.