Monk-stabber to walk free

PHUKET CITY: A man arrested Thursday for stabbing a monk at a Phuket temple on Wednesday will walk free without being charged, as police believe him to be mentally unstable.

Pol Capt Atthapol Wannasaengthong of the Phuket City Police told the Gazette that about 4 am Wednesday, Uthen “Pra Pinnateepo” Ronnarit, 52, was in his living quarters when he heard a man shouting in the temple grounds.

He went outside to ask the man to stop shouting, as the noise was disturbing the other monks. The man, who police declined to name, became enraged and stabbed the cleric in the back before fleeing, Capt Atthapol said.

Another monk alerted police, who arrived 15 minutes later. They found Pra Pinnateepo able to stand and walk, but still bleeding from his back.

He was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he received 10 stitches and was released later that day, said Capt Atthapol.

The man who stabbed Pra Pinnateepo returned to the scene of the crime the next day. When he did, another monk alerted police, who raced to the temple and arrested him.

The man will be released from Phuket City Police Station into the care of his relatives, as police have opted not to press charges on the grounds that he is suffering from mental-health problems, said Capt Atthapol.

As the man regularly sleeps at the temple, police have warned the family to keep a closer watch over him or risk losing him to a mental institution.