A British man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly threatened a Chiang Mai temple abbot with a machete.
Clive George Davidson has been charged with a number of crimes after police say he menaced Abbot Phra Khajonsak of Wat E-Ranthawan in the northern city’s outskirts.
Police said that Davidson was caught on camera exiting his vehicle Sunday with a machete and approaching the monk, who escaped into the temple and locked the door before calling police.
Maj. Yongyuth Kulathon of Hang Dong district police said that they did not know the motivation behind the apparent attempted attack, adding that the 50-year-old Briton had not confessed. He said officers found a small amount of marijuana in Davidson’s car.
Davidson admitted to being the man in the video, according to a Thairath report, saying that he just wanted to talk to the abbot.
A tip led them to a rented house in Hang Dong where, police said, Davidson locked himself inside and began frantically shouting in English. After four hours, officers left to seek an arrest warrant.
Police said that prior to the alleged incident, he had caused a disturbance at a neighbor’s home before heading to the temple.
The police said that Davidson’s visa had expired. He has been charged with possession and use of an illicit substance, trespassing, criminal mischief and overstaying his visa.
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