Interesting to follow the legal side of this case and study the way in which the Thai monastic law operates abroad:
Monk says temples in Europe will take him: supporter
Luang Pu Nenkham dismissed a threat by Thai monastic authorities to expel him and claimed Buddhist temples in France and Germany were ready to take him in. He said he would return to Thailand on July 31 with "bigger greatness", key follower Sukhum Wongprasit said yesterday.
The Office of National Buddhism chief Nopparat Benjawatananun warned, however, that such a move was impractical and would still end up with the monk lacking authority or being unsupervised, because temples overseas weren't under Thai law or the Buddhist Order Act.
A transfer of supervision needed permission from the previous supervisor as well as an official letter from the new supervising temple, he said.
Sukhum yesterday submitted a request for justice to the Supreme Patriarch's Secretary's Office at Wat Bovornniwet but it was turned down on grounds that he didn't make an appointment and he wasn't a "damaged party". He also lacked a proper letter to show he had permission to act on the monk's behalf.
So Sukhum gave the letter to Wat Bovornniwet abbot assistant Phra Thepsarnvethi, who said he would present it to Acting Dhammayut order head, Somdej Phra Wannarat, although there is a procedure in the Sangha chain of command to handle such issues. (...)
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 10301.html
It is obvious that Thai authorities cannot ask for Nenkham's extradition from USA merely on the basis of the Sangha Act, but have to use other criminal charges against him:
Si Sa Ket monastic authorities say 'Luang Pu Nenkham' defrocked
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will today consider whether to seek a warrant for the arrest of the jet-setting former monk known as Luang Pu Nenkham for alleged statutory rape and money laundering.
A warrant could lead to the extradition of the monk - also known as Phra Wirapol Sukpol - who is believed to be living in the United States and has refused to return to Thailand as long as there is "no justice" for him.
The DSI move came after Si Sa Ket's monastic authorities yesterday announced that Luang Pu Nenkham was no longer a monk.
A monastic disciplinary-probe team met at Wat Pa Sri Samran in the province yesterday. After the meeting, the Si Sa Ket monastic chief's secretary Phra Khru Wacharasitthikhun said the team considered information from the DSI and the Office of National Buddhism, as well as the case of a woman who had revealed an alleged sexual relationship with Luang Pu Nenkham. It was agreed at the meeting that he would be expelled from the monkhood. Phra Khru Wacharasitthikhun said the officials could proceed with legal action against the monk.
DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said the agency was considering seeking an arrest warrant for statutory rape, as the woman who claimed to have had a sexual relationship with Luang Pu Nenkham from the time she was 14 until they had a child together would officially file a compliant with the DSI.
Retrieval of allegedly embezzled assets could be a lengthy task because many had been moved, Tarit said. But he said the department would try to retrieve as many as possible.
Tarit said the DSI would also contact related agencies regarding procedures to extradite the monk back to Thailand, pointing out that other countries gave importance to child-molestation and money-laundering cases.
Pol Lt-Colonel Korrawat Panprapakorn, director of the DSI's Bureau of Regional Operations Centre, said investigators tracing the monk's car purchases suspected he had bought at least 100 vehicles. The DSI would try to retrieve them all and summon those involved in the purchases to give information.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 10355.html
Thai 'missionary' (dhammaduta) monks going abroad carry a special diplomatic passport, not an ordinary Thai passport, so they enjoy a different status ... as long as it lasts.