The History of Wat Promkunaram

Wat Promkunaram, Waddell, Arizona was unanimously started by the Thai, Laotian, Cambodian and American Buddhists in 1989. At first they purchased a house at 8102 W. Trafalgar Ave. Phoenix, Arizona 585330 and used it as a temple. Three monks were invited from Wat Mai Yai Nuy, Bangkok, Thailand, to spend their Buddhist Lent in the temporary temple. They were; 1. Phra Anant Subharo, the chief monk, 2. Phra Pairach Bharhmavaro, and 3. Phra Sitthisak Phasuko

After that, the Board of Directors registered the temple as a Non-Profit Organization. On February 5, 1984, the Crown Prince of Thailand was invited to initiate the metal casting of a Buddha Statue in victory pose, 39 inches wide at the base, at Wat Pradoo-Chimplee in Bangkok, and gave an initial “M.W.K.” on a robe for Wat Promkunaram, Arizona, under patronage of Bunma Cargo Company and Thai Airways Co. Ltd. in sending the Buddha Statue to Wat Promkunaram.

Since the establishment of the temple, the monks and the Temple Board of Directors received much guidance and advice from Ven. Phrapromkunaporn [at present Somdej Phrabhuudhajaraya], Lord Abbot of Wat Srakesh in Bangkok and Member of Thai Sangha Council in Thailand.  He also requested Ven. Phrathepsophon, Head monk of Wat Thai of Los Angeles, and Ven. Phrasuthee-ratanaporn [at present Phrathepprasitthimont] Chief monk of Wat Dhammaram, Chicago and formerly president of Thai Bhikkhus Council in the U.S.A. to assist and help Wat Promkunaram for its betterment and improvement.

Furthermore, Ven.Phrathepsophon [at present Phradharmarajanuvatra] appointed Ven. Phrakru Vinaithorn Pratheep Khemapadipo to stay at Wat Promkunaram during Buddhist lent to help and improve the temple’s project in 1985. Later on Phra Anant Subharo returned to Thailand for good, so the monks and devotees voted and requested Phra Pairach Brahmavaro to be abbot and head monk of the temple with full power and authority.  Phra Pairach, the new abbot improved the temple’s activities and the temple became too small for the devotees. Therefore on April 20, 1985, the monks, the board of directors and devotees called a meeting presided by Ven. Phrathepsophon and unanimously decided and agreed to buy a piece of land on which a new temple would be constructed. On May 1, 1985, they purchased a piece of land consisting of five acres at a cost of U.S,$80,000 at 17212 West Maryland Avenue, Waddell,AZ 85355 near Luke Air Force Base.

After purchasing the land, the temple committee raised a fund for the construction of multi purpose Building, 40 feet wide and 80 feet long [40X80 ft]. Mr.Dusdee Aphaisuwan was the architect who drew up the plans for the monks to live in five rooms plus one room to use as an office, in order for the devotees to have functions and ceremonies in a big hall. Dr. Amphorn Somsin [one of the board of directors] and Mr. Choosin Phanthusevee [at present the President of the board of directors] obtained an approval from the neighbors and received a permit from the City of Phoenix for erecting a Buddhist Temple in 1988. First, the temple wall in concrete and block around the temple’s five acres was erected at a cost of U.S. $20,000. Dan Sherrill Construction Company won the contract work for the multipurpose hall, five rooms for the monks, one room for office and parking lot at a cost of U.S. $300,000 the workwas started on August, 1988 and completed in February of 1989.

Wat Promkunaram had its full right and authority as a Buddhist Temple to serve its devotees as a non-profit organization in the States on April 21, 1984. The temple had a Grand Opening on May 27-28, 1989. On May 25-26, 1989 the temple also sponsored and patronized with great success the 13th Annual Conference of the Council of Thai Bhikkhus in The United States of America at Wat Promkunaram. The temple has served not only the Thai Buddhists, andnon-Buddhists equally for the purpose of harmony, love, peace and happiness.

In the 1991 there were nine persons living in Wat Promkunaram: six monks, one novice, one nun and one temple boy to chant and recite Buddha’s teachings and sit in meditation in the morning and evening. The six monks performed different ceremonies and services for the Thai, Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese and American devotees with all good wishes and kindness. Unfortunately and unexpectedly on August 10, 1991, very early in the morning, all nine of the temple residents were shot to death in Wat Promkunaram without reason. The council of Thai Bhikkhus in U.S.A [Phra Visutthisombothi the President of C.T.B.] called a meeting and then appointed Ven. Phra Wichiendhammakunathan, Vice-President of C.T.B. and Head Monk of Wat Thai of Los Angeles, to take charge of Wat Promkunaram during the absence of an abbot & monks and later appointed Ven. Phramaha Winai Punyayano [of Wat Thai of Los Angeles] to take responsibility as abbot–in-charge of Wat Promkunaram on September 27, 1991. The Committee of T.B.U. invited Ven. Phramaha Winai Punyayano, the Abbot-in-charge and Chief monk, to take full responsibility for the growth and success of the temple and all its plans and projects on July 14, 1992. The Council of Thai Bhikkhus in U.S.A. invited all able active and energetic monks in the U.S.A. and Thailand to co-operate and assist Ven. Phramaha Winai Punyayano in running the Temple for achievement and success in all its activities of the temple.

An item made the news on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, relating to an incident I could not ever remember hearing anything about.

It seems that back in 1991, six monks, a novice monk, a nun, and a 17-year old temple helper, were found dead in Wat Promkunaram — a Buddhist temple in Arizona. All had been executed with one or more fatal firearm discharges.

Eventually, two men were charged and convicted of the murders. Alessandro ”Alex” Garcia — 19 years old at the time, who was the first to confess to being involved in the murders, and who testified against his accomplice — received a sentence of 271 years in prison; Jonathan Andrew Doody — who was 17 years old at the time, and accused as being the main executioner — received 281 years.

Citing improprieties in the arrest process and the manner in which a confession was extracted, lawyers have unsuccessfully tried several times to win Jonathan Doody’s freedom. A latest bid saw a ‘lower court’ make a decision to have his conviction overturned, but the Supreme Court then ruled that the lower court must reconsider its decision.

Jonathan Doody, who is now 36, originally came from the Isaan region to the States as a six-year old youngster — at the time, his name was Veerapol Kamkaew, and he spoke no English.

His father, who had been a truck driver in Nakhon Ratchasima, had long before reportedly become sick with malaria, and died. His mother was thus forced to leave Veerapol and his younger brother (David – I haven’t found his Thai name), and travel to Germany to find work. It was there that she met an officer (Brian Doody) in the Marines whom she married, and the couple eventually came to the States and settled in Arizona, at which time the mother sent for her two sons.

When the Buddhist monks had Wat Promkunaram built in 1988/1989, Veerapol’s mother became a member of the religious community that the temple served, and she and young Veerapol attended services there. I have even read that the reason the monks built the temple in that location was because of how many Buddhists lived in the area, in part thanks to the numbers of American servicemen who has taken Thai wives.

After Veerapol changed his name to Jonathan, he joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and at the age of 17, actually became a commander (obviously, this would be at something like a cadet level). It seems that he badly wanted to become a fighter pilot.

And then, in 1991, his World came apart.

My initial reaction when I read the latest news articles was that it would be a travesty for this man to win his freedom over technicalities of legal process. I didn’t at first realize that he was Thai. That led me to research more about the events of 1991.

An excellent account of the murders, and how he was implicated and charged for them, is available in this article titled Buddhist Temple Massacre.

And when I read a couple of the Bangkok Post’s October articles — particularly Thai migrant faces moment of truth in us court — I wondered how it was that a Thai human rights lawyer would be so deeply involved in defending this accused murderer, and how the lawyer could have been doing so from the very beginning unless he truly believed in Jonathan Doody.

I understand that the human rights lawyer, Thongbai Thongpao, is a ‘sometimes’ columnist for the Bangkok Post, and maybe other news publications. He definitely shines when his early history is read (such as here). But he seems to have fallen out of favour with some people who no longer see him as bucking the establishment. For example, the Website Political Prisoners in Thailand has referred to him as follows:

Ancient lawyer Thongbai Thongpao, who once had a great human rights record, but is now sullied by his support for all kinds of military and government nonsense….

And:

…Former democracy advocate and human rights lawyer turned yellow-shirted anti-Thaksin campaigner Thongbai Thongpao….

But regardless of any of that, I had to wonder why it was that he seemed so assured that Jonathan Doody was innocent — what was not in the news reports about Jonathan Doody that I was seeing?

I came across this very detailed examination of the full process of Jonathan Doody’s arrest and eventual confession in Scribd.

8251934-Jonathan-Doody

I have to admit, it makes it seem very possible that the teen could have been guided into his confession through some deception, and the stress of his lengthy and unrelenting interrogation.

Even a very detailed account of the 1991 events that was provided by Sheriff’s Sgt. Russ Kimball (described as coordinator of the multi-agency task force that conducted the massive search for the killers), that was produced along with Phoneix Magazine features editor Laura Greenburg, amply reveals the confusion and wrong-headedness that was in play throughout. You can read the whole thing, beginning here.

In fact, I have read that the current and hugely controversial Sheriff of Maricopa County (where Wat Promkunaram is situated), Joseph M. “Joe” Arpaio, managed to originally become Sheriff because of the bungling the holder of that office (Sheriff Tom Agnos) was perceived to have engaged in while this entire investigation was going on. Joe Arpaio is now into his fifth four-year term.

Note these extremely interesting 2008 reflections of a blogger — an ex- Chicago cop — who appears to have been part of a news team who got assigned to cover the breaking story of the murders back in 1991.

And here is the biggest conspiracy angle of them all that contends Jonathan Doody was a hapless scapegoat: THE TEMPLE MURDERS TRIAL: A DERELICTION OF DOODY. That particular link is just a chapter in what is titled SCANDAL HAUNTS TEMPLE MURDERS.

So maybe Jonathan Doody has been innocent all these years?

I will close with this note about his family — somewhere I read that they had moved to Alaska to get away from the endless accusations and finger-pointing that was becoming their way of life in the lower States.

Related articles

• Court sends back Buddhist temple killing case (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Sheriff Arpaio Ordered to Treat Inmates Humanely (immigration.change.org)
• Crocodiles Respond to Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Attack (spin.com)
• Court Tells Sheriff Arpaio: Follow the Damn Constitution Already (criminaljustice.change.org)

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 17th, 2010 at 6:42 pm and is filed under Buddhism/Temples, Documentaries, People and Places. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.