Wirapol Sukphol, the disgraced former monk now behind bars, has been banned from doing what he did best when he wore the saffron robes -- preaching.
Bangkok Remand Prison chief Krit Krasaethip on Friday ordered the man formerly known as "Nen Kham" to refrain from teaching Dhamma to other inmates during his detention at the prison in Chatuchak district.
There was a risk Mr Wirapol could use his well-known preaching skills to persuade other prisoners to do as he wanted, Mr Krit said. The former monk is allowed, however, to attend daily religious activities such as morning and evening prayers, he added.
Mr Wirapol was forced to disrobe by officials of the National Office of Buddhism and to change into civilian clothes shortly after he returned to Thailand from the United States on Wednesday while still wearing a monk's robe.
He was extradited by a US court to face charges of violating the Computer Crimes Act, fraud, money laundering, having sex with a girl under 15, and child abduction.
He spent his first night behind bars at Bangkok Remand Prison, also known as Bang Kwang, on Thursday after prosecutors filed their indictments against him at the Criminal Court.
Mr Wirapol showed no signs of stress, probably because he was prepared to be in this situation, the prison chief said.
Mr Wirapol, 38, was famous for his persuasive preaching and his claims of supernatural powers when he was the abbot of the Khantitham forest monastery in Kanthararom district in Si Sa Ket province. His performances drew many followers and donations to the monastery.
Although he was a young monk at the time, Wirapol acted as a senior monk by calling himself Luang Pu Nen Kham, as he also counted his age from a past life.
The former monk, who led a life of luxury and was even photographed counting a thick wad of banknotes while on a private jet, fled the country in 2013. He was expelled from the monkhood in absentia by the Sangha Council in Ubon Ratchathani in the same year.