Chonburi —
An Australian tourist, reported by some Thai media to allegedly be under the influence of cannabis, wreaked havoc at Wai Chai temple in South Pattaya on Friday morning, August 11th.
The tranquil morning ambiance for the monks at Wat Chai was ruined today after an Australian man entered the local temple and, for no apparent religious reason, began to destroy the place’s sacred property using his bare hands.
Wat Chai, formally known as Wat Chai Mongkol Royal Monastery, located in South Pattaya, Banglamung district, was full of monks at 6:20 AM, when the Australian male, Mr. Jason Bradley Scott, 55, arrived on a taxi motorcycle and while the monks were in the bathroom and prayer halls, snuck into a chapel and wrecked havoc on the temple property including breaking ivory tusks.
Upon hearing the commotion, Phra Maha Watajak, a monk, rushed to the chapel just in time to catch sight of Mr. Jason fleeing out of the room on foot. However, in his haste he slipped while trying to descend from the stairs and fell to the ground, sustaining minor injuries that prevented his escape.
The temple disciples surrounded Mr. Jason, and upon recognizing his condition, they decided to inform the police and rescue services for assistance.
However, while the police and rescuers were attempting to lift the foreigner into an ambulance, he reportedly refused to comply and began verbally harassing the rescue team, causing a disturbance within the peaceful temple vicinity.
The man was ultimately sent to a hospital but was described as extremely uncooperative by law enforcement.
Regarding the damage to the temple, Phra Maha Watajak revealed that he would send a representative to file a report to police to initiate a legal action against the man. Meanwhile, local media has reported that the man was possibly under the influence of cannabis; however, the police stated that they remain uncertain and will further investigate the matter.
TPN media notes that despite the claims of some Thai media that the man was under the influence of cannabis that there was no drug test or concrete evidence that he was.
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