Former senator Paiboon Nititawan is demanding the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) grant him access to annual reports on the finances and assets of temples nationwide for study purposes. The request follows a requirement by the Sangha Supreme Council, the governing body for Buddhist monks, that all temples send annual reports on their finances and assets to the NOB. Mr Paiboon, who headed the now-defunct National Reform Council's (NRC) Buddhism reform panel, said he has been working on reforms to ensure better management and auditing of temples' assets in a bid to encourage transparency and accountability. Concerns have been raised over the misuse of donations and temples' auditing systems. Mr Paiboon said his request for access to the temple's annual reports is in line with Section 59 of the new constitution, which was promulgated by His Majesty the King on Thursday.

Source: Bangkok Post April 07, 2017 23:37 UTC