Somdet Phraphutthāčhān (Somdet Kiaw)

Somdet Kiaw (3 March 192910 August 2013) was a Thai Buddhist monk who served as the abbot of Wat Saket and the acting Supreme Patriarch of Thailand.

Name Somdet Kiaw (; ) was born Kiaw Chokchai . His Dhamma name, in the Pali language, was Upaseṇo , and his highest monastic title was Somdet Phra Buḍhācārya (; ). His previous monastic titles were as follows:

Phra Medhisuddhibongsa , 1958 Phra Rajavisuddhimedhi , 1962 Phra Debgunabhorn , 1964 Phra Dharmagunabhorn , 1971 Phra Brahmagunabhorn , 1973

Acting Supreme Patriarch Somdet Kiaw was appointed acting Supreme Patriarch in 2005 due to the failing health of the incumbent Supreme Patriarch Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana. He was a monk of the Mahanikaya order, and was of Thai Chinese descent. His appointment provoked severe criticism from Luang Ta Maha Bua (of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya order) and Sondhi Limthongkul, who claimed that the appointment created two Supreme Patriarchs and contravened the royal prerogative of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. On 4 March 2005, Maha Bua even petitioned King Bhumibol Adulyadej to remove all of Kiaw's royal titles.