PATHUM THANI, Thailand -- An air of siege hangs around the perimeter of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Thailand's largest and wealthiest Buddhist temple, in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok.
Checkpoints manned by police and soldiers monitor movements on the five roads leading to this sprawling complex. The police have placed warning notices at 12 of the temple's 14 gates, attracting attention among white-clad devotees, many of them middle-aged women. The signs indicate that the temple is under official investigation.
