Dating the First Arrest of Khruba Srivichai, the Saint of Northern Thailand
Abstract
Khruba Srivichai (1878-1939), the most famous monk in northern Thai history, was detained under multiple protracted temple arrests. Evidently confusing Rama VI’s 1918 coronation anniversary with his original coronation and failing to recognize that the 1902 Sangha Act was not yet in effect, the majority of Srivichai’s biographers have presumed that his first arrest took place between 1908-1910 during the reign of King Rama V for violating the 1902 Sangha Act. This essay argues that Srivichai was more plausibly arrested circa 1915 during the reign of King Rama VI for violating the Military Conscription Act. Although only some five years, the difference in dating results in a different understanding of the relevant laws Srivichai likely had violated and thereby the causes of Srivichai’s first and subsequent arrests.
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