appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

SCMP’s Asia desk

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has come under intense social media scrutiny after photos resurfaced showing him wearing a high-value amulet created by a senior monk now at the centre of a fraud and sex scandal.
The photos were taken in October 2023 while Anutin – then serving as deputy prime minister and interior minister – was leading a group of Bhumjaithai Party MPs to watch the hit horror-comedy The Undertaker, local outlet ThaiRath reported. Anutin publicly displayed the Thai Buddhist amulet to reporters, praising it as an example of Thai “soft power”.
The amulet in question is a rare 2006 Jatukam Ramathep gold edition from the collectible Nuea Duang (Elevating Fate) series, valued at around 3 million baht (US$90,700). Produced by Wat Phutthaisawan in Ayutthaya province, the pendant is prized among disciples and collectors who believe it brings good fortune, wealth and elevated social status.
The item returned to national headlines after the arrest of the temple’s abbot early Thursday morning.
Phra Wachirayan Wi, also known as Luang Pho Atichot Dhammawaro, was arrested on allegations of embezzling over 92 million baht from the temple, according to The Nation. Authorities also detained Punyawee “Ae” Rungrueang, a 47-year-old lay follower believed to be the 66-year-old monk’s romantic partner.

CCTV footage from inside the abbot’s private quarters showed the pair engaging in sexual acts on a dining table inside the temple compound, Bangkok Post reported. A group of the monk’s followers had given the videos to police, saying they “could no longer tolerate his behaviour”.
Wachirayan was disrobed on Thursday afternoon before being taken into custody for questioning.
Investigators allege the former abbot siphoned off temple donations and proceeds from amulet sales over a two-year period, issuing more than 20 receipts in the temple’s name. Some of the money was allegedly transferred to his female partner to be converted into other assets and concealed under other people’s names. Tens of billions of baht are believed to have passed through her account each year.
The inquiry was sparked by a complaint alleging that Wachirayan was misappropriating temple funds and handing the money over to his female partner. Covert investigators later found evidence supporting the allegations and an arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday.
A search of the abbot’s quarters later on Thursday uncovered cash and gold bars estimated to be worth 100 million baht, with the count yet to be completed. Police are expected to oppose bail during his court appearance on Friday, citing concerns that he could flee or tamper with evidence.
Inside the home of his associate, police found 35 gold amulets, gold bars and jewellery valued at over 6 million baht, alongside 3.6 million baht in cash. They also seized 10 land and account documents, two land title deeds and a land-sale agreement.


Japan jails man for forcing Thai girl, 12, into sex work

Cambodia, Thailand take US$300 billion seabed dispute to UN

Thais stage rare Israel protest; Singapore ministers get pay rise: 7 Asia highlights

US throws weight behind Thai submarine cable that skips South China Sea

Thailand

Thai PM Anutin’s US$90,000 amulet back in spotlight after disgraced monk’s arrest

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul showing the Nuea Duang amulet to journalists in October 2023. Photo: Handout

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul wearing the amulet in October 2023. The amulet’s creator, the former abbot of Phuthaisawan Temple, was arrested on Thursday for embezzlement. Photo: Handout

Data centres sprouting in Thailand fuel fears of public health impact

Cooling facilities are seen on the roof of a data centre building (bottom centre) as people at a restaurant are reflected on a pane of glass in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: AFP

Residential complexes next to a data centre building (right) in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

A security guard sits outside a data centre building in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

Thais take to streets in rare protest against Israel: ‘not for sale’

Protesters holding signs attend a rally demanding an end to alleged land-grabbing by foreigners in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo: AP

Political activist Sondhi Limthongku speaks to a crowd of followers in front of the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo: AP

How US military presence spurred Pattaya’s rise into Thailand’s city of pleasure

Pedestrians walk past a LED display welcoming the arrival of US service personnel of the USS Abraham Lincoln in Pattaya, Thailand, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

The USS Abraham Lincoln is seen docked at Laem Chabang Port, near the Thai city of Pattaya, on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln leave a hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, on Thursday. Photo: AP

Hostesses advertise discounts to US service members of the USS Abraham Lincoln at Walking Street in Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Termsak’s friend Nit Duangdee painting an American soldier in the early 1970s in Thailand. Photo: Handout

Hello, sailor: Thailand’s Pattaya rolls out welcome mat for USS Abraham Lincoln crew

American service members of the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group arrive at a hotel in Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Members of the US military arrive at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet gives souvenirs to American service members from the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group at hotel in Pattaya on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Crew members stand on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln as it heads towards Laem Chabang port, near the city of Pattaya, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

This Week in Asia

Politics

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

Photos have resurfaced of the prime minister wearing the rare pendant as a senior abbot is disrobed and arrested for embezzlement


Photos have resurfaced of the prime minister wearing the rare pendant as a senior abbot is disrobed and arrested for embezzlement.


Anutin Charnvirakul

Thai PM Anutin’s US$90,000 amulet back in spotlight after disgraced monk’s arrest

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Photos have resurfaced of the prime minister wearing the rare pendant as a senior abbot is disrobed and arrested for embezzlement

Photos have resurfaced of the prime minister wearing the rare pendant as a senior abbot is disrobed and arrested for embezzlement