Officials discover 20 preserved bodies at AIDS treatment temple
Ex-abbot faces scrutiny over donations, threats, and unauthorised patient care
Officials from the Ministry of Public Health raided Phra Bat Nampu Temple in the central province of Lop Buri, where they discovered 20 bodies of AIDS patients illegally preserved and displayed in a museum within the temple.
Phra Bat Nampu Temple, also known as the AIDS temple, has long been running donation campaigns to raise funds for underprivileged AIDS patients. Many donors chose to support this temple, believing their contributions would directly benefit the patients.
However, the temple is now under investigation for alleged misuse of donations. The former abbot, Alongkot Ponlamun, and his close associates, including well-known spiritual medium Sakesan “Bee” Subsuebsakun, are facing scrutiny.
Recently, a former foreign volunteer revealed that she and other volunteers were forced to leave the temple because their care improved patients’ health, which allegedly reduced the amount of donations.
The foreign woman further claimed she received a death threat for refusing to leave, stating that her motorcycle tyres were punctured and that she eventually felt too unsafe to remain.
Yesterday, August 20, Public Health Ministry officials inspected the temple’s patient care facilities. They found several buildings operating as a medical centre and patient wards, despite lacking official permits.
Sixty HIV patients were being housed at the unauthorised centre, while ten terminal AIDS patients were being treated in another building.
Officials confirmed that despite the lack of permits, the quality of care met the standards. Still, the unauthorised operations violated the Hospital Act, leaving the former abbot and relevant temple staff liable to prosecution.
Inspectors also found a cannabis plantation on temple grounds. The cultivation was run by a private company that had rented the land and was found to hold the required government permits.
The investigation extended to the temple’s museum, where officials uncovered 20 preserved bodies of AIDS patients that had been displayed for more than 20 years.
According to officials, the preservation methods did not comply with legal requirements and violated the Cemetery and Crematorium Act, which mandates that bodies must be buried or cremated within a set timeframe.
Thanakrit Jitareerat, Secretary to the Public Health Minister, urged Alongkot to cremate the bodies without delay. The former abbot reportedly agreed to cooperate with the order.
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