Phra Phrom Methee, then assistant abbot of Wat Samphanthawong, attends a ceremony at his temple in Bangkok in 2016. (File photo by Samarn Sudto)Former Sangha Supreme Council member Phra Phrom Methee fled to Laos after avoiding arrest over the temple funds embezzlement scandal and police are now seeking his extradition. On learning of the arrests, Phra Phrom Methee went to Nakhon Phanom instead of returning to Wat Samphanthawong in Samphanthawong district of Bangkok. There the woman contacted a Lao woman, who was also a follower of Phra Phrom Methee, to arrange his escape across the Mekong river to Laos. According to the source, Phrom Phrom Methee had expected the legal action long before the raids and had told his followers that he was not worried because he had many followers in Laos who were ready to look after him.

Source: Bangkok Post June 01, 2018 08:48 UTC