A Buddhist scholar clarified the source of the money at 2 billion baht that the abbot had donated to build a new hospital and medical facility in the Don Mueang district of Bangkok.
A Facebook page focusing on reports about monastic ranks posted yesterday, September 13, that Phra Phrom Wachira Khunathan, also known as Luang Pho Nen, had donated 2 billion baht towards the construction of a medical facility in Don Mueang.
The project is Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn Hospital, a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration hospital being developed on 28,800 square metres of land within Pak Nam Temple.
The second phase of the project has a budget of 1,999,960,000 baht for 2026 to 2030. It includes a 13-storey, 200-bed hospital, a support building and a staff dormitory.
The facility is intended to serve people in Chatuchak, Bang Sue, Lak Si, Don Mueang and Bang Khen areas of Bangkok.
The reported donation is not the first hospital-related project to receive support associated with Luang Pho Nen. Previous projects listed in the source include
- Ratchapiphat Hospital
- Centre for Geriatric Medicine and Learning
- Comprehensive Centre for the Promotion and Development of Quality of Life for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
- Rattanapracharak Hospital
- Phra Mongkhon Thepmuni Hospital and Bussarakham Chitkarun Hospital
Phra Phrom Wachira Khunathan is the current abbot of the royal temple Wat Sri Sudaram Worawihan in Bangkok Noi district.
The reported amount prompted members of the public to question where the money came from and call for the financial transactions of the abbot and temple to be examined.
Some people raised concerns about possible money laundering, while others suggested that the report could have been intended to divert attention from the recent scandal involving a former abbot in Ayutthaya.
Buddhist scholar Banjob Bannaruji subsequently clarified the reported 2 billion baht donation. He said the money was not the abbot’s personal funds and did not come from money donated to the temple.
According to Banjob, several millionaires and business operators who respected the abbot provided funds to him, which the abbot then directed towards several hospitals.
Banjob further explained that some of the funding came from a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration budget, while other contributions came from people who respected the abbot.
The scholar said the abbot acted as an intermediary between donors, BMA officials and the public to support projects intended to benefit the wider community.
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The story Abbot’s 2 billion baht donation is donors’ money, says scholar as seen on Thaiger News.
