Buddha Amulet Vendor Defends Himself in 9 Million Baht Swap Case

Phon Tha Phra Chan, a prominent Buddha amulet vendor, has defended himself in the controversy surrounding a 9 million baht gold-coin amulet case, confirming his team made the swap but maintaining his own innocence. The dispute began when an allegation emerged that a gold-coin amulet had been switched for a copper-coin version. Phon subsequently held a live broadcast admitting his team had accidentally left a gold-coin amulet in the testing machine, then negotiated a settlement with the amulet owner at 9 million baht. The owner, understanding the mistake, did not pursue further action.

Recently, renowned amulet expert Pong Suphun raised additional concerns, noting photographic evidence that one of 14 amulets had been changed from gold to copper coin, and questioned why a gold-coin amulet in the original photos had become copper when returned. In response, Phon released a video of his conversation with the amulet owner, in which the owner confirmed they witnessed the entire incident and are confident Phon had no involvement in the swap.

Phon reiterated that he never lied and, after investigation, confirmed his team was responsible for the substitution. He accepted full responsibility, apologized for the misinformation that his staff had distorted, and announced the dismissal of the staff member involved. Phon emphasized his lack of intent to commit fraud, stating that the amulet owner and those present at the incident can attest to the facts. He pledged to improve his organization's operations moving forward and thanked all involved for clarifying the matter to the public.