THE DEPARTMENT of Special Investigation (DSI) has asked for police and troop reinforcements and planned to cut off electricity and water to Dhammakaya Temple last night.

A DSI source said reinforcements were needed because a large number of followers had rushed in to obstruct their mission.

Busloads of supporters were also arriving from the provinces.

The source said officers would not raid the temple at night because there was a high risk of the action causing a confrontation and damage. Instead, they would seal off the temple and shut down its power and water supply, as such an action was allowed by under the order issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

For reinforcements, four companies of police – around 600 officers – would be deployed from Samut Prakan and Saraburi at temple’s fifth and sixth gates to control the temple followers, who broke through the police line |yesterday afternoon and tried to obstruct the operation.

The DSI invoked two Article 44 orders from the NCPO to tell 14 monks from Temple to report to the DSI director-general at the Border Patrol Police Region 1 by 6pm, then later yesterday. But the 14 monks had not presented themselves as of press time.

Those summoned include Phra Dhammachayo (now honorary abbot), acting abbot Phra Dattajivo and spokesman Phra Sanitwong Wutthiwangso. Violating the order could cause them to be jailed for up to a year, or face a Bt20,000 fine or both.

Meanwhile, Phra Acharn Thammasak Jaruthammo, a monk who is close to Dhammachayo, said yesterday the former abbot had fled the temple. He said Dhammachayo sneaked out last Thursday when the DSI raid to search for the former abbot started. He believed Dhammachayo was in hiding near the temple because he is ill and cannot travel too far.

Yesterday afternoon, about 1,500 lay followers of the temple ignored an ultimatum by the DSI and broke through a barrier of police and DSI officials to rally inside the temple.

Earlier, the DSI issued an ultimatum for non-residents to leave the compound by 3pm, whether they were monks, novices or lay people. But at about 1.30pm, 1,500 lay followers and monks gathered outside Gate 5, claiming they wanted to pray there.

With officials guarding the gate outnumbered, the followers stormed into the compound and officials just looked on, saying they did not want to clash with people. After getting inside, lay followers formed lines to prevent |officials going into the compound.

The DSI issued an order yesterday to facilitate its operation inside the temple after the search over the three previous days failed to locate the fugitive ex-abbot, Phra Dhammachayo.

DSI director-general Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang said non-resident monks and lay people had to leave the temple by 3pm yesterday or they would be considered as having defied an NCPO order and be liable to up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to Bt20,000.

According to the order, monks, followers and other people who do not reside in Wat Dhammakaya or its foundation had to leave the area by 3pm, as declared under Article 44 of the interim charter.

After 3pm, monks, followers and people who reside in the temple were told to report to authorities to check their ID cards for registration. Last week the NCPO declared the temple’s compound an area under control and subject to a search for Dhammahayo, who is wanted for alleged forest encroachment, money laundering and receiving stolen assets in connection with meditation centres in several provinces and the multibillion-baht embezzlement case involving the Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative.

Phra Sanitwong Wutthiwaso, the temple’s communication chief, called on the junta to cancel the order to seal off the temple. The temple spokesman said monks inside the temple would have to leave for a Pali language exam tomorrow and they were afraid they would be blocked from returning.

He said followers who had sent their children to enter the monkhood at the temple wanted to visit them but were prohibited from doing so because of the order.

He said monks, novices and lay followers in the temple were enduring a hardship so the temple wanted the NCPO chief to rescind the order to allow them to enter and leave freely.

Surachai Trongngam, from EnLaw Foundation, expressed concern over the use of Article 44, saying Prayut’s order was excessive and lacked checks and balances – similar to an emergency decree. When authorities carried out an operation under such an order, they were immune to criminal lawsuits.

The order became effective on Thursday.

The Department of Special Investigation and police searched the temple last week looking for its fugitive former abbot Phra Dhammakaya.

This was the first time that most people have seen the opulent temple’s interior.

The ultra-rich temple is well known for its large and lavish buildings and structures.

It covers over 2,100 rai (336 hectares) and the total cost of construction is estimated at about Bt350 billion.

Here is a list of some of its main structures and their estimated costs:

BT189 BILLION: THE ROOF OF THE GRAND MEDITATION STADIUM

The buildings around the Dhammakaya Cetiya are offices for various temple projects and can hold up to 1 million people. There are 32 office blocks contained in the perimeter buildings. The moat is used to lessen the heat and beautify the surrounds.

BT75 BILLION: THE GREAT DHAMMAKAYA CETIYA

The outer shell of the dome-shaped cetiya (stupa) is decorated with 300,000 Buddha statues on its hemispherical dome and spherical terrace.

Another 700,000 Buddha statues decorate the interior. Titanium gold ion plating gives the statues a golden sheen.

BT370 MILLION: THE DHAMMAKAYA CHAPEL

The chapel was built with clean lines and in a simple style. It can hold 200 monks.

BT5.8 BILLION: THE MEMORIAL HALL OF PHRA MONGKOL THEPMUNEE

The dome-shaped shrine was built on a circular base, symbolising a sphere that spreads the Dhamma teachings of Lord Buddha.

BT175 MILLION: A SCULPTURE FOR

WORSHIPPING THE GREAT DHAMMAKAYA CETIYA

A place of worship for followers.

BT17.4 BILLION: THE SAPHA DHAMMAKAYA

Located opposite the Dhammakaya Cetiya, the assembly hall has a multi-functional design. The two-storey building is also used as accommodation for followers, holding up to 200,000 people.

BT550 MILLION: THE GRANDMA CHAN KHONNOKYOONG GREAT HALL

This 29-metre-tall and hexagonal pyramid-shaped chapel was built as a memorial place for the Master Nun, the founder of Dhammakaya Temple.

BT3 BILLION: THE MASTER NUN CHANDRA CENTENNIAL BUILDING

The 15-storey, circle-shaped building with a blue peacock symbol represents the Master Nun Chandra of the temple’s former abbot Phra Dhammachayo. Part of the construction budget – Bt714 million – is allegedly linked the Klongchan Credit Union embezzlement.

BT970 MILLION: THE MASTER GRANDMA DINING HALL

This is where all the monks, novices, and followers come together to have meals and remember the devotion of the Master Nun in establishing the temple. They also meditate there. The hall can seat up to 6,000 monks.

BT45.5 BILLION: THE PHAWANA 60 YEARS BUILDING

The dome-shaped shrine building is similar to the Great Dhammakaya Cetiya. It was built as meditation retreat for VIP followers.

BT340 MILLION: THE TEMPLE WALL

BT850 MILLION: THE DMC CHANNEL STATION BUILDING

BT2.2 BILLION: THE PARIYATTI DHAMMA SCHOOL

BT100 MILLION: OUTDOOR PARKING LOTS

BT11.8 BILLION: A HUGE INDOOR CARPARK

BT1.4 BILLION: MEDICAL CENTRE

BT650 MILLION: KITCHEN

DESPITE repeated haze crises in recent years, several communities in the North are hoping the problem will be solved.

Their optimism stems from efforts by many to reduce common causes of smog such as agricultural fires.

“We are fighting the haze crisis with sustainable agriculture,” said Dr Kanit Tantisirivit, the chief of the Nan community.

He said several organisations from the government and private sector had come to Nan to educate residents about sustainable farming, which reduces the need to rely just on corn plantations, which results in discarded corncobs that are often burned as a means of disposal.

Multi-crop plantations, Kanit said, also offer hardworking farmers better income, which reduces pressure to expand cultivation by clearing land using controlled burns.

Last year, the Nan community announced that 169 farmers had already embraced the model and started growing other crops in place of corn.

“There is hope that the smog situation will improve on a sustainable basis,” Kanit said. The Nan community has played an active role in promoting sustainable agriculture, helping farmers to plan which crops they should cultivate to earn enough income without hurting the environment.

Also active in Nan is the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, which has conducted many projects to prevent forest encroachment.

Nan is one of the nine northern provinces affected by air pollution and haze almost every dry season in recent years.

The problem in the North has worsened to the point that the government approved a Bt154-million budget to fight haze in the nine northern provinces this year. The target provinces are Nan, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Lamphun, Phrae, Phayao and Tak.

When smog spreads, levels of small dust particles often rise beyond the safe limit of 120 micrograms per cubic metre of air. When the haze gets to that point, residents are at risk of developing health problems.

Aside from the threat to health, smog has also hurts tourism and the economy.

According to authorities, the haze risk is highest between February 15 and April 15. The problem is closely related to the number of fires in the area.

By reducing the number of “hotspots”, the risk of smog also decreases.

The government has several measures to minimise haze risks including efforts to reduce burning in target areas by fuel and area management. Patrols will also be conducted to ensure timely responses in the event of forest fires.

In Chiang Mai’s Mae Chaem district, which used to be afflicted with poor smog conditions, some measures have been implemented with remarkable results.

Between February 15 and April 15, the number of hotspots in Mae Chaem fell to just 30 from 384 in the same period a year earlier.

“We are continuing the successful measures. We use patrols and more,” said director Somkiat Meetham of the Or Phya Institute, a non-government group dedicated to solving land-related problems in the North.

Patrols target national parks as the Pollution Control Department records show about 46 per cent of hotspots occurred in national parks, with fires usually deliberately lit by area residents to clear the land for forming.

‘More land for communities’

Somkiat also highlighted the threat from burning discarded corncobs, adding that his institute had used two milling machines to crush the corncobs in Mae Chaem district.

“This is an eco-friendly solution. The crushed corncobs can be used to make organic fertiliser and moisture-retaining ground cover,” he said, adding that the institute had about 30,000 tonnes of corncobs to crush.

While he said he believed efforts in Mae Chaem would significantly lower the risk of haze, he added that government agencies should act faster in allocating community land plots for people to utilise.

“Allocating land would definitely reduce hotspots in forest zones,” Somkiat said.

The government allocated only 3,800 rai (608 hectares) of land last year with just 943 local residents as beneficiaries.

“There is about 200,000 more |rai of land for the government to allocate,” he said.

The move has concerned officials at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), who voiced fears that the delay would affect power stability in the South.

After a tense confrontation between protesters opposed to the plant and state officials, which escalated after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha approved the controversial coal plant on Friday, the government backed down yesterday and agreed to protesters’ demands, ordering that the public participation process within the EHIA be restarted.

Authorities also released five prominent leaders of the protest who were arrested and detained at the 11th Military Circle in Bangkok on Saturday.

Prayut said work on the coal-fired power plant would not be allowed unless the project passed the EHIA.

“If a specialist committee states that the entire EHIA study has to be restarted, Egat and the Energy Ministry must follow [that advice]. This is linked to the Energy Policy Planning Office committee’s conclusion that the project must follow proper guidelines under the law, especially the EHIA consideration,” Prayut said.

Prasitchai Nu-nuan, one of the protest leaders, told reporters after his release that he was treated well in custody and very happy with the decision to scrap the current EHIA. The report had been under the consideration of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.

“The Krabi coal-fired power plant project has legally been cancelled, as the government has announced that the current EHIA for the project is scrapped,” Prasitchair said.

“If Egat wants to restart the project, they will have to do the EHIA study all over again and this time there will be a special committee to oversee all of the EHIA study to make sure that all points of concern will be covered in the report.

“Therefore, we can say that our campaign was successful, as the government listened to us. We would like to thank the prime minister and the government because they understood us, and we will return home.”

He said the government had promised that the agreement would be made official by a Cabinet resolution tomorrow, so his group were looking forward to the official statement.

Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said earlier the government and protesters had had difficulties understanding each other, but the government yesterday talked with protest leaders and acknowledged their worries about the project, which allowed both sides to reach an agreement.

“We reached an agreement that there is a need to have a new power plant in the South, but protesters were concerned about the doubtful public participation process in the EHIA study of the power plant. So, we informed the prime minister and he ordered the entire EHIA process to be improved and the public participation to be reset,” Sansern said.

He said the prime minister ordered that the EHIA process must be aligned with suggestions from relevant committees.

However, he said the move did not mean the coal-fired power plant project was permanently cancelled.

He also did not confirmed that there would be an official statement after the Cabinet resolution tomorrow.

Power stability ‘at risk’

Meanwhile, Egat governor Kornrasit Pakchotanon expressed worry that the government order to restart the EHIA study would increase the risk of power instability in the South. But he said his agency would comply with the order.

“We are ready to do whatever the government orders and we do not have a problem with doing the EHIA report again. But this means the project will be further delayed by up to seven years and by that time the power stability of the southern region will be at risk,” Kornrasit said.

“We also worry that public participation will be disrupted by the opposition group, who are people from other provinces, and even if the EHIA consideration for the project is passed, they will start the protests again.”

He said Egat was developing a new power line from the Central region to the South to prevent power shortages. The agency was also considering investment in a new gas-turbine power plant, which would be easy to build but would cost more to operate.

“The new power-line can transfer around 600 to 1,000 megawatts of electricity to the South, but it is not a good solution. We still need a fossil-fuel power plant in the South to ensure power stability,” Kornrasit said.

He said the decision would not affect progress on the 1,100MW coal-fired power plant in Thepa in Songkhla, which was a separate project that Egat would prioritise to ensure it is completed by the 2022 deadline

The road towards project approval

Project approval of the Krabi coal-fired power plant will take at least two years to compete these processes:

1.    Egat and a consultant company conduct an Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) for the project

2.    Egat submits the report to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) to consider

3.    Relevant agencies conduct public hearings on the project

4.    ONEP considers the final EHIA report

5.    The National Environment Board considers the project

6.    The Cabinet makes a final |decision on the project

Source: The Nation

Legal experts condemned the move, saying it was a severe violation of the protesters’ rights and demanded that they be released immediately.

The NGO Coordinating Committee on Development, in its statement, demanded that the protesters be released immediately and without conditions.

It also called on the government to review the National Energy Policy Committee decision to go ahead with the plan to build a coal-fired power plant in Krabi. It urged the government to stop using coal for energy in Thailand.

Environmental groups started the prolonged protest in Bangkok on Friday to oppose the prime minister’s decision to go ahead with the coal-power plant in Krabi and invited people affected by the government’s policies from nationwide to join their campaign.

Police conducted several raids on the protest yesterday and captured many protesters, including all leaders of the rally. Officials said they were acting with authority under the absolute power of Article 44 in the interim charter.

As of the press time, five key members of the protest – Prasitchai Nu-nuan, Akkaradej Chakchinda, ML Rungkun Kitiyakara, Banjong Nasae, and Thatchapong Kaedam – were detained at the 11th Military Circle, an Army base in Bangkok.

The rest of the protesters who were arrested were taken to the Patrol and Special Operation Division. None were allowed to meet their lawyers or family members.

Surachai Trongngam, secretary-general of the EnLAW Foundation and legal adviser for the protesters, said the officers’ action violated basic human rights and it was a misuse of power.

“I have tried to visit the protesters, who are detained at Military Circle 11. But my request was turned down, as the military officers argued that these protesters were arrested under the power of Article 44 of the interim charter, and therefore visitors were not allowed,” Surachai said. He will try again to see them today.

“They [the military personnel] did not specify the exact order, but it is very likely that the officers are exercising the power of National Council for Peace and Order [NCPO] order 3/2558, which allows officers to detain suspects without any charge for seven days.”

He said this was a misuse of power to violate the rights of people, because all citizens have the right to stage a peaceful protest. So, an exercise of power like this would also infringe on the principle of the rule of law.

Maha Sarakham University lecturer Chainarong Sretthachau also said that use of absolute power to crack down on peaceful protesters was a violation of human rights, because the Thai government had ratified international agreements.

He urged the government to release all protesters immediately.

Meanwhile, Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the police had to crack down on the protesters, as they had gathered at a forbidden area at Government House and did not follow officers’ orders. They had violated the Public Assembly Act.

“The arrest of the three protest leaders complies with the law, because the police asked the protesters to stop the protest in the forbidden area. But they did not listen, [and] threatened the officers, and even urged more people to join their protest,” Sansern said.

“The Public Assembly Act clearly states that protesters must follow the rules and that Government House is not an area where protests are allowed. So we had to stop the protest by asking the Civil Court for an order to do that.” He urged protesters to consider the country’s future and benefits for the majority of people, as the new power plant would ensure power stability and “many people” wanted the coal-fired power plant to go ahead in Krabi.

However, Surachai argued that the authorities did not follow lawful means in dealing with the protest, as officers used force to crack down on the protesters, despite having already asked the Civil Court to judge whether the protest could continue or not.

“The protesters are ready to fight in the court and right now we are considering what to do next to help the protesters who were captured, and defend our right to peacefully demonstrate,” he said.

A representative of the protesters, Supaporn Malailoi, said currently the remaining protesters still had good morale and insisted on carrying on their campaign at Government House. In the meantime, more people were travelling from the South to join the protest in Bangkok.

“All of us insist on continuing the protest and we demand that the government release all our companions immediately,” Supaporn said.

Environmental groups and rights protection organisations released a statement supporting the campaign against the coal power plant. As of yesterday, at least 27 organisations had urged the government to reconsider its approval for the Krabi project. They also asked for the immediate release of the protesters.

Police, including officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), yesterday focused their search for the 72-year-old monk on areas outside the sprawling Pathum Thani-based Dhammakaya Temple complex, which spans over 2,100 rai (336 hectares.

DSI deputy spokesman Worranan Srilum said a tip-off led officials to search an address in a housing estate close to the temple. However, instead of finding Dhammachayo, authorities found three Buddhist monks of foreign nationalities in the house who claimed to be taking part in religious training at the temple. The monks were later handed over to Immigration Police for further proceedings.

Inside the temple compound, officials from the Food and Drug Administration and forensic experts were accompanied by DSI authorities in examining the room said to be used by the fugitive monk during his supposed medical treatment, DSI deputy director general Suriya Singhakamol said.

Officials from the Energy Ministry examined large storage tanks of petrol estimated to exceed 100,000 litres in an area at the back of the temple, he said.

Inside Dhammachayo’s supposed treatment room, attention was on a sick bay containing a hyperbaric chamber.

Authorities found an order document and a usage manual for the hyperbaric chamber, which the temple said was bought from Yanhee Hospital by a follower of the monk who later donated it to the temple.

The hospital is known for performing cosmetic surgery but temple staff said the machine was used to treat the fugitive monk’s skin problems, and not for cosmetic purposes as speculated on the social media.

Dhammachayo, now honorary abbot of the temple, is wanted for alleged money laundering and accepting stolen goods in connection with an embezzlement case involving a key follower of the monk. His close disciple, former Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative chairman Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, is serving a 16-year jail term for embezzling billions of baht from members of the cooperative. Before his arrest, Supachai donated over Bt900 million to the monk.

Region 1 Police commander Pol Lt-General Chanthep Sesavej said yesterday that he was convinced Dhammachayo was still in hiding somewhere near the temple.

He said the number of officers dispatched to the temple to enforce the junta leader’s order declaring it a controlled area would be reduced to eight companies. However, he rejected calls by the temple’s staff and followers for the order to be lifted, saying it was needed to facilitate the hunt for Dhammachayo.

Phra Sanitwong Wuthiwangso, a spokesman for the temple, yesterday urged the National Council for Peace and Order to lift the latest order by General Prayut.

He said with the temple compound being declared a controlled area, many people living in the communities around the temple have been affected.

DSI officials yesterday started sealing off buildings and rooms that were already searched inside the temple with special adhesive tape to prevent possible interference.

The national anti-graft agency accused Surapong, a key politician from the Pheu Thai Party, of malfeasance and dereliction of duty under the Penal Code and of violating ethical standards under Prime Minister’s Office regulations for political appointees.

Also, the NACC has requested the National Legislative Assembly to impeach Surapong and asked the Office of Attorney-General to indict him for criminal negligence and malfeasance in connection with his actions in this matter.

While serving as foreign minister in 2011, Surapong instructed the Foreign Ministry to issue two new passports to Thaksin, whose passports had been revoked in 2009 by the Democrat-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva on the grounds that the former PM was deemed to be damaging the country while living abroad.

Thaksin’s diplomatic passport, often issued to senior government officials particularly prime ministers, had been revoked since December 2008.

In supporting his decision, Surapong had told the media that he and the Pheu Thai-led government at that time had agreed that Thaksin’s presence overseas did not cause any damage to Thailand or foreign countries and revoked the Democrat-led government’s order.

Responding to a question as to why Thaksin had to be issued two passports, government figures at that time explained that it was not unusual for individuals to have more than one passport if they needed them. They pointed to people who had to travel abroad frequently, such as diplomats, businesspeople, sports people and flight attendants, as sometimes needing more than one passport.

Thaksin has lived in self-exile overseas after fleeing the country in 2008. Later that year, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders sentenced him in absentia to two years in jail for abuse of power while in office.

Complaints were filed with the NACC against Surapong after the reissuance of the passports to Thaksin.

The complainants sought the impeachment of then foreign minister Surapong, and then prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The Ombudsman’s Office had requested Yingluck to review the decision to reissue the passport to Thaksin. The agency had argued that the government’s action was not in line with proper procedures, as Thaksin was ineligible for new passports because he was wanted by authorities and was prohibited from leaving the country.

After the coup in May 2014, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, under then foreign minister General Tanasak Patimapagorn, revoked Thaksin’s two ordinary passports in May 2015. The revocation came after the ex-PM severely criticised the new administration and Thailand in an interview with foreign media.

The ministry explained that the revocation came after a suggestion by security agencies, which deemed Thaksin’s action a threat to national security and an attempt to damage the country’s reputation and dignity.

However, as a Thai national, Thaksin still has the right to return to Thailand although he no longer carries a Thai passport.