Suri Sukphon, a younger brother of ex-monk Wiraphon Sukphon who is accused of three charges including sexual assault of a minor, made his first public appearance yesterday to clear Wiraphon’s name.
Suri vowed that the person photographed sleeping next to a woman was him not his brother. Suri, who entered monkhood three to four years after Wiraphon, claimed that he took on a very different monastic path from his brother. He told Dailynews that he had sexual relationships with many women and someone took a photo of him with one of those women at a resort in Si Sa Ket Province to blackmail him.
Suri insisted that his facial resemblance to Wiraphon misled the public, forcing Wiraphon to take the blames for him.
Wiraphon, previously known as Luang Pu Nenkham, is wanted on warrant for three offences. He was accused of having sex with an underage girl a decade ago and fathering a child with her, a serious monastic misconduct that ousted him from monkhood earlier this month. Wiraphon is also charged with fraud and computer-related crime.
Suri said that he was willing to take a DNA test to prove that the child was his and Wiraphon is innocent. However, he hasn’t yet contacted the Central Institute of Forensic Science in order to do so.
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) launched an investigation after a video of Wiraphon in a private jet emerged online. Authorities are notifying the US that Wiraphon was the subject of an arrest warrant, as he is believed to be residing in the country.
