Abbot Flees Temple During Drug Test
The abbot of a Prachuap Khiri Khan temple fled through a window during a drug test on September 21, hours after authorities arrived to test residents following villagers' reports of suspected drug activity. Officers found drug paraphernalia
On September 22, Prachuap Khiri Khan authorities continued searching for Phra Od, 52, the abbot of Wat Pa Sangkhila in Nong Chan village, Phai Sai subdistrict, to face a drug test. The raid occurred after villagers reported suspected drug activity at the temple.
On September 21, when Prachuap Khiri Khan district officials arrived to test all five residents of the temple—three monks, one novice, and the abbot—the abbot initially approached the testing area but then asked to retrieve his robes from his quarters. A single officer followed him, but the abbot did not return. After about an hour, staff checked his cell and found him missing; a window had been left open, apparently used for his escape. A day has since passed with no sightings of the abbot.
When officers inspected the abbot's quarters, they found drug paraphernalia at two locations. The cell itself was in shocking condition—barely habitable, cluttered throughout, with a pan and stove in the bathroom apparently used for heating food.
Phra Bunchaeng, 54, one of the four monks and novices who underwent testing, explained that the abbot likely suspected trouble and fled. The other four tested negative for drugs. Phra Bunchaeng noted that the abbot had been ordained for 28 years, rarely went on alms rounds, and did not permit junior monks to enter his cell—they had to hang food at his door instead. Whether the abbot was using drugs, Phra Bunchaeng said, remained unclear to him.
