work abroad () and within Thailand (, phra thammacharik), as well as his position as Chief of the Northern Region. He cited his old age as reason, and denied any political motivations. Luang Por Wichian Anomaguno, deputy-abbot of Wat Paknam, was appointed as region head instead. In 2019, the Royal Thai Government Gazette announced that Somdet Chuang had retired from his position in the Sangha Council, leaving Luang Por Wichian and Phra Suchat as representatives of Wat Paknam on the assembly. Investigations by AMLO (2017–18) On 5 July 2017, as part of the ongoing 2017–2020 Thai temple fraud investigations, Somdet Chuang, assistant abbot Phra Prommolee and Wat Paknam's accountant were questioned by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). Held at a national scale, the investigations aimed to check whether there were any illegal deals between the National Office of Buddhism and Buddhist temples that asked for or received their funding. Wat Paknam's lawyer Somsak Toraksa did confirm that the temple had received five million baht government funding for renovation of buildings, and another sum of money for other activities. The second sum was estimated by the AMLO to also amount to five million baht. Somsak stated, however, that Wat Paknam had made no illegal deals with corrupt government officers to return money to them. The National Office of Buddhism had contributed the money themselves in 2004–2005, without Wat Paknam making any request for such funding. The lawyer further attested that all financial transactions had been properly recorded. The next day, the AMLO indicated investigations in Wat Paknam were still continuing, though they were nearly over. Junta-appointed director of the National Office Of Buddhism Pongporn Pramsaneh stated later that the AMLO investigations in Wat Paknam were part of a protocol investigation and there were no particular suspicions with regard to Wat Paknam. Apart from Wat Paknam, four other large temples in Bangkok were under investigation. In December 2021, Somdet Chuang died, aged 96. Phra Phrom Moli, Somdet Chuang's assistant abbot, was then named acting abbot. Practices and propagation The temple has in several ways promoted Buddhist education in Thailand. The temple has a well-known Pali and Buddhist studies institute, which is used by the Sangha to print documents used for national monastic examinations. This Pali Institute was already built by Luang Pu Sodh in 1939, and in his time was already a learning center with a thousand monks and samaneras studying there.