Monk Found Dead in Temple Quarters, Numbers Left Behind
A 68‑year‑old monk named Phra Chamras was found dead in his quarters at a temple in Ban Mi District, with his fingers and toes bound by electrical wire and burn marks on his hands and feet. A puzzling message left on the floor included the numbers 680, whose meaning remains unknown. Police are investigating the death as suspicious after the monk’s former wife said he had repeatedly claimed people were trying to kill him.
The tragic incident occurred at 09:10 on October 4, 2026, when Pol. Lt. Thananphon Kaewibwong of Ban Mi Police Station received a report from a local temple that a monk had died in his quarters. Officers, together with volunteers from the Ariyathammasathan Ban Mi Foundation, inspected the quarters behind the crematorium and found Phra Chamras, aged 68, lying on his back with electrical wire binding his left index finger and right big toe, showing burn marks on his hands and feet. On the floor of the quarters was the message: 'We are not guilty and must repay; 06:50–07:10, long journey, farewell 680.' The number 680 has not been deciphered. Before sending the body for autopsy at Ban Mi Hospital, the monk's former wife said he had been ordained for more than seven years, had lived at the temple for two years, and suffered from depression, often claiming that people were out to kill him. She, their four children, and fellow monks and nuns at the temple tried to encourage him and sought treatment for him, never expecting the tragedy to unfold on a holy day.
