Thailand’s Buddhism chief removed

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s junta has removed the head of the national Buddhism office, the prime minister said on Tuesday, after religious groups called on the government to sack him over his plans to clean up scandalhit monasteries. But Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said it wasn’t a punishment. Pongporn Pramsaneh, who joined the National Office of Buddhism in February, had vowed to reform Thailand’s more than 40,000 temples by forcing them to open their finances to the public. They take billions of dollars in donations every year. The former policeman was appointed amid a standoff between security forces and the influential Dhammakaya temple in February. Authorities wanted to question the temple’s chief abbot on money-laundering charges. Pongporn will now move to a lower profile post of inspectorgeneral in Prayuth’s office. “He has got some of the jobs done. He came in to solve temple issues,” Prayuth told reporters. “I’ll now bring him close to me, to help me work on religious reform... This is not a punishment.”