Phra Dhammajayo, the former abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani, should surrender to fight the cases filed against him by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and police, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The poll was carried out on Dec 6-7 on 1,250 people of various occupations and levels of education throughout the country.
Asked what should be done to bring Phra Dhammajayo to justice, most of the respondents, or 48.88%, said the monk should surrender to fight the cases; 23.12% said the DSI and police should arrest him as soon as possible; 16.8% said Section 44 of the interim constitution should be invoked to change the administrators of Wat Phra Dhammakaya; 5.68% said state authorities should take such measures as cutting water, electricity supplies and communication systems to the temple; and, the rest were uncertain or had no comment.
To the question of whether they are confident the police will be able to get Phra Dhammajayo to answer the charges against him within three months as deputy police chief Srivarah Ransibrahmanakul has said, a majority of the respondents, or 64.08%, said they were not confident; 30.08% were confident; and 5.12% uncertain.
