Renowned monk passes away at age 90. "Luang Pho Jamnian" Former abbot of Wat Tham Suea Vipassana in Krabi province passed away in Malaysia at age 90, after 69 years as a monk.
On 19 August 2026 GMT+7, reporters received notice from the Wat Tham Suea Vipassana committee in Krabi Noi Subdistrict, Mueang Krabi District, that Luang Pho Jamnian Silasettho, a renowned southern meditation master and former abbot of Wat Tham Suea Vipassana in Krabi, passed away in Malaysia on the afternoon of 18 August, aged 90 with 69 years in monkhood.
Meanwhile, Phra Thep Wachirakorn (Phra Ajarn Chai Purintako), Deputy Chief of Region 17 and acting abbot of Wat Tham Suea, traveled to Malaysia to coordinate the return of Luang Pho Jamnian’s remains for religious ceremonies at Wat Tham Suea in Krabi. This news has brought sorrow to local residents in Krabi and many southern provinces who knew Luang Pho Jamnian, the temple’s founder, now a major tourist attraction in the province.
Regarding his background, Phra Ajarn Jamnian Silasettho, also known as Luang Pho Jamnian, was born on 1 May 1936 in Pak Nakhon Village, Moo 4, Tha Rai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat. At age 21, he was ordained on 2 July 1957 at Wat Naree Pradit in Tha Rai, with Phra Khru Kaderm of Wat Buranaram as his preceptor, receiving the monastic title "Silasettho." He resided at Wat Naree Pradit for 7 years before undertaking forest monk ascetic practices across various areas.
In 1975, he established the meditation center for Vipassana practice known as the "Tham Suea" forest monastery. It was officially elevated to temple status on 30 December 1985 and became widely respected and popular among devotees nationwide. Located near a mountain with a viewpoint overlooking the entire city of Krabi, it also attracted many tourists, eventually becoming a key provincial attraction.
In 2012, seeking to escape the daily crowds at the temple, Luang Pho Jamnian moved to reside and founded new temples such as Wat Khao Lao in Ratchaburi and Rangsee Matchima Monastery in Saraburi. In his later years, he traveled to Malaysia for health reasons where he eventually passed away.