THE SCANDAL-HIT Dhammakaya Temple yesterday blamed the death of an asthma patient inside its vast compound on the ongoing enforcement of a junta order in its hunt for wanted former abbot Phra Dhammachayo.

Phra Sanitwong Wuttiwangso, the temple’s communications director and spokesman, said a woman died of asthma inside the temple at noon because an ambulance could not reach her in time after it was stopped by troops.

The monk said the 48-year-old woman, identified as Pattana Chiangraeng from northern Phayao province, became the second victim after the enforcement of an order issued by the prime minister under Article 44 of the interim charter.

She is among several hundred Dhammakaya followers gathering inside the temple.

On Saturday night, a 65-year-old Dhammakaya sympathiser hanged himself from a telephone signal tower just outside the temple. The man, identified as Anawat Thanacharoennat, protested against the use of Article 44 against the temple and called for its revocation.

The order, declaring Dhammakaya a controlled area for authorities, was issued by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in his capacity as head of the National Council for Peace and Order, to facilitate searches of the vast temple compound for the absconding Dhammachayo. The 72-year-old former abbot is wanted for money laundering and accepting stolen assets in connection with embezzled funds from a credit union.

A stand-off between authorities and the temple’s monks and followers has continued for almost two weeks.

Phra Sanitwong, in his Facebook message yesterday, said the woman ran out of her asthma spray supply shortly before noon and asked for help but the blackout of communication signals inside the temple’s compound made it difficult for people in the temple to call for emergency assistance.

The monk said an ambulance from the private Ratanawej rescue centre could not pass through a road checkpoint manned by military personnel so it asked the government-run 1669 Emergency Medical Service (EMS) centre to send its ambulance. However, the EMS ambulance could not locate the patient as it was allowed to enter the besieged temple through Gate 7 only.

Eventually, the Ratanawej rescuers had to seek permission from officials at Gate 7 to lead the EMS ambulance to the patient. The process took more than an hour. By the time the ambulance arrived at almost 1pm, the woman had already died, the monk said.

A rescue worker in Pathum Thani told The Nation yesterday that a call from the temple in the morning reported a case of asthma. However, an ambulance sent there was not allowed to enter the compound, according to the rescue worker, who requested anonymity. The rescue worker also declined to be specific as to why the ambulance was refused entry. However, authorities yesterday disputed the claim that the ambulance was blocked from entering the temple compound. A medical official from Klong Luang district said the asthma case was reported to authorities at 12.10pm and that they managed to reach the patient at 12.35pm, which was considered normal.

“The ambulance did not get close because it was led by a Dhammakaya nurse,” the official said.

Another tragedy also happened yesterday in the northeastern province of Bueng Kan following a heated argument about the fugitive monk Dhammachayo between two men.

A 30-year-old man identified as Promlikhit Somakarn, who is a resident of Phon Charoen district, was beaten to death with a steel pipe by his neighbour Thanapol Singto, 25, who fled the scene after the attack, police said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday summoned three key Dhammakaya followers to report themselves by tomorrow for allegedly obstructing the authorities’ operation and mobilising demonstrators.

The persons summoned are Ai Petchthong, Kotchakorn Chaiwan and Payong Unnahit, DSI spokesman Songsak Raksaksakul said.

In a related development, the superintendent of Pathum Thani’s Klong Luang Police Station, which has jurisdiction covering the Dhammakaya Temple, was removed from his post yesterday. His transfer came after his alleged failure to actively carry out the police part of the operation at the temple.

The order to transfer Police Colonel Kemapat Potipitak was signed by Provincial Police Region 1 commissioner Pol Lt-General Chanthep Sesawet, with immediate effect. Kemapat is now assigned to an inactive post at the Provincial Police Region 1 headquarters.

Under the same order, Pathum Thani’s deputy police chief Pol Colonel Samart Srisiriwiboonchai will double as the caretaker chief of the Klong Luang Police Station.

Also yesterday, a group of Dhammakaya monks had their breakfast on the street in front of the temple after being surrounded by security authorities, claiming that they were forced by authorities to enter the temple through a designated gate.

Sixteen monks exited the temple in the morning for an alms round. On their way back, they wanted to get into the temple through Gates 5 and 6, but they were told by authorities to use only Gate 7 only.

One of the monks said: “When we could not enter the temple via our usual gates, we decided to have breakfast here.”