Forces besiege Dhammakaya Temple in standoff over scandalous abbot

Authorities surrounded the country’s biggest Buddhist temple on Thursday and the junta leader declared he was imposing control after they failed to hand over the influential abbot wanted for money laundering.
With political parties and many activists silenced since a coup in 2014, the Dhammakaya Temple is a rare institution defying the junta, which has so far trodden warily in confronting a religious group that claims millions of followers.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Article 44 of the constitution — a security measure dubbed “the dictator’s law” by critics — was being used to impose control on the monastery because it had