Fake Monks Arrested After Returning to Ayutthaya Rice Field Camp

AYUTTHAYA — Police arrested two men accused of posing as Buddhist monks and soliciting donations after they were found living at a makeshift camp beside a rice field in Bang Pa-in district. Pol. Col. Chanan Prempluemjit, chief of Phra In Racha Police Station, said officers were alerted by residents to a group of men dressed in monk-like robes near a rice-field embankment in Moo 8, Chiang Rak Noi subdistrict. Investigators found a wooden shelter covered with yellow cloth at the site, which resembled a temporary camp. Police said it was the same location where officers had previously made arrests on 7 May. Two men, 63 and 67 years old, both from Kaeng Khro district in Chaiyaphum province, were found at the camp. Police seized two sets of monk’s robes, two alms bowls with shoulder straps and two monk’s bags. The men were unable to produce monk identification documents. Checks of the Royal Thai Police database showed that both men’s national identification cards listed them as civilians and used the title “Mr”, rather than identifying them as ordained monks. Officers also recognised the pair as suspects previously arrested at the same location. The men reportedly admitted they had returned about three days earlier and claimed they had dressed as monks to collect money because they were in debt and needed income to survive. Police said the pair argued and attempted to negotiate with officers during the arrest. Both men were taken to Phra In Racha Police Station and charged with unlawfully wearing clothing or using symbols intended to make others believe they were Buddhist monks. They were handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings.