No reprieve for Phra Pawana
The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the lower court's ruling handing a 50-year imprisonment term to a former Buddhist abbot of Nakhon Pathom's Wat Sampran, on charges of raping and molesting nine hilltribe girls under the age of 15.
Charged with the crimes dating back to 1988, the meditation guru was arrested in 1995 after hilltribe girls housed in a dormitory he had built in the temple came forward with the accusations, which led to him being defrocked. Six female followers were given prison sentences from three to 10 years for conspiring with Chamong.
The Supreme Court yesterday considered an appeal submitted by Chamlong and his accomplice Chorpha Sakulwanakan, sentenced to 28 years in jail for procuring the girls. Finding the evidence against the two to be convincing - including the existence of a secret way within Chamlong's residence for the girl victims to visit him without outsiders' knowledge - the court upheld the lower court's sentences of Chamlong and Chorpha.
Top Stories
- Mysterious tourist deaths in South
- Sondhi gives police account for first time since shooting
- Army chief will sue if linked to Sondhi plot
- GH Bank official charged with embezzling Bt400 million
- Health Ministry tightens preventive measures
- Warning against unsupervised use of antiviral drugs
- Swine-flu prevention raised to 'maximum'
- Two Thais, 1 German quarantined
- Virus can be detected in four hours now
- Phuket asked to ensure summit goes off without hitch
Tel 66-2-338-3000(Call Center), 66-2-338-3333, Fax 66-2-338-3334