Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered stepped up security at Wat Phra Dhammakaya to prevent any incidents as tens of thousands of followers gather at the temple where the abbot, accused of money laundering, is claiming ill health and evading the law.
After hearing reports that red-shirt guards from the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) were staying in the temple in Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani, Gen Prayut said at Government House on Thursday that he had ordered security authorities to enact measures to ensure safety, including weapon searches of visitors.
Gen Prayut said people's safety must be ensured as a "party" could enter the temple and take some kind of action and put the blame on the government. He said officials must not carry weapons in the temple.
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