A policeman in the south of Thailand has been fined 500 bht after he wrestled with a monk who was collecting his daily alms.
It is believed that the policeman mistakenly thought that the monk was a fake.
However, Phra Mahasaksorn Khongphon, 52, was a perfectly respectable monk from the temple of Wat Khlong Nam Jet.
Constable Manop Chaidech, attached to the water police in Trang, held the monk in a head lock then slapped him around the head to subdue him.
The policeman is thought to have been drunk.
Manop accepted the error of his ways later and paid a fine of 500 baht.
Since the attack Manop has not been into work. Her was taken home by his wife after the incident earlier in the week.
Trang police played down the incident saying it was not a dangerous assault, while Manop had not been tested for alcohol in his system as a vehicle was not involved.
His boss at the water police said he couldn’t comment as to whether the policeman was drunk as he wasn’t there. He said yesterday that Manop had failed to turn up for work.
He announced that a committee had been convened to look into the matter but stated that Manop was a man who often made merit.
A fine had been paid but they would try to find out what possible misunderstanding caused the officer to think that the monk was a fake.
If the officer was indeed drunk (in the morning!) then surely a 500 bht fine is totally inappropiate. He has by his own admission assaulted a holy man and this in itself should warrant instant dismissal. The police really don’t do themselves any favours sometimes.
Things have been a bit quiet on the monk and police scene, good to see normal service has been resumed !
(Source:Daily News)