Unholy identity crisis

Allegations against Phra Alongkot — the former abbot of the famous Wat Phrabat Namphu in Lop Buri — have not only revealed a crisis of faith in Thai Buddhism, but have brought the issues of identity theft and impersonation to the forefront.

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The monk and his aides were arrested yesterday morning and charged with embezzlement and money laundering. He has subsequently left the monkhood to focus on the case against him. Before these events unfolded, he had been praised for turning the temple into a hospice for terminally ill HIV/Aids patients.

The question of the former identity of this abbot attracted headlines after the son of a dead man filed a charge against him for identity theft. Phra Alongkot allegedly used the dead man’s 13-digit ID to open a bank account for the foundation to receive financial donations. It has subsequently been alleged that his original name is not the one he used to make an ID card. Media reports have further claimed that several decades ago, the former monk dodged the military draft and assumed a new identity to do so.