PATHUM THANI - People in Khlong Luang district on Tuesday complained they were being flooded out by water from new moats dug to block access to a well-guarded building in Wat Phra Dhammakaya.
Authorities inspected the moats outside the temple wall in front of the Boon Raksa building after hearing the residents' griping.
Residents said their houses and fields were flooded. Officials advised them to file written complaints with the Khlong Sam tambon administrative organisation.
Sangworn Singha, 52, said his house in Moo 7 village of tambon Khlong Sam was inundated about 3am. It had never been flooded before, even after very heavy rain. The only change in the area was the digging of the ditches around the Boon Raksa building, he said.
Somporn Noimai, 50, said he planned to pick the fragrant pandan leaves in his field for sale in a few days, but the flooding was damaging the plants.
One of the temple monks, Phra Channarong Uttamo, exited the building and moved gingerly across the series of moats on ladders, to tell reporters the temple had no intention of preventing officials going inside.
Temple followers dug the moats, and put up some barricades because they feared the authorities would again drive a vehicle into a temple gate to break it and destroy the temple's surveillance cameras.
The monk also said that 200-litre oil barrels set in the area were only for use as bases to anchor the poles supporting shade awnings, and they did not contain any fuel.
Earlier reports said four surrounding moats had been freshly dug and filled with water, apparently to protect the recently built Boon Raksa building.
The six-floor building was reportedly designed to function as a hospital for the monks. It stands in an area of 130 rai on Liab Khlong L Road, near gates 5 and 6 of the temple.
As authorities had failed to arrest the temple's former abbot Phra Dhammajayo for about 20 days, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday that authorities were taking legal actions and senior monks were exercising monastic rules to cope with the former and embattled abbot.
The actions were obstructed by a large number of opponents, he said.
Phra Dhammajayo, 72, is wanted for alleged money laundering and receiving stolen property in connection with multi-billion-baht embezzlement at Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative, building code violations by buildings in Wat Dhammakaya's compound and forest encroachment by several branches of the temple in several provinces.
He has failed to answer any charge and ignored summonses and arrest warrants for about a year.
Boon Raksa building (photo by Thiti Wannamontha)
