logo
Misbehaving monks: Sex scandal shakes Thai Buddhist faithful

Misbehaving monks: Sex scandal shakes Thai Buddhist faithful

The Hindu6 days ago
Reverence for the saffron-robed Buddhist monkhood is deeply woven into Thai society, but a sex extortion scandal has besmirched the clergy and left the devout questioning their faith.
Thai police this week arrested a woman accused of bedding at least 11 monks in violation of their vows of celibacy, before blackmailing them with thousands of secretly taken photos of their trysts.
The monks are said to have paid nearly $12 million, funnelled out of their monasteries funded by donations from laypeople hoping to increase their merit and prospects for reincarnation.
The scandal provoked outrage over hypocrisy in the monkhood, concern their status shields them from scrutiny, and soul-searching across society about the role of religion.
"I'm not involved in the religion like I used to be," 33-year-old motorbike taxi driver Mongkol Sudathip told AFP. "I don't have full respect for it anymore."
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has cancelled invitations to more than 80 monks who had been due to attend his upcoming 73rd birthday celebrations, citing "inappropriate behaviour that caused mental distress among the Thai people".
While the 11 monks have been stripped of their robes, the kingdom's National Office of Buddhism has vowed to "restore public trust" with a sweeping police probe into the grubby affair.
'Splurging attitude'
Theravada Buddhism has been the spiritual backbone of Thai identity for more than two millennia, and still shapes national laws banning alcohol on religious holidays and protecting sacred objects.
Thai men are traditionally expected to ordain as monks at least once in their lives for a period lasting as short as a few weeks or as long as decades.
The clergy are bound by 227 strict rules, including a ban on masturbation, touching women and even handling objects directly from them.
Monks traditionally survive on alms, food offerings and a modest $170 monthly stipend, but some pocket fees for lectures, blessings and ceremonies — blurring the line between faith and fortune.
In a TV interview, the woman at the heart of the scandal said she had developed a "splurging attitude" as her monk lovers lavished her with shopping trips worth up to $90,000 a day.
Motorcycle taxi driver Mongkol said he now prefers to donate to hospitals or schools for underprivileged children. "It feels more meaningful than giving money to temples," he told AFP.
This month's scandal is not the first to rock the monkhood.
In 2017, police raided Wat Dhammakaya temple north of Bangkok, arresting its former abbot over allegations of laundering $33 million in public donations.
This May, police held another monk in the capital over allegations of embezzling nearly $10 million from a temple for an online gambling network.
Buddhism scholar Danai Preechapermprasit said repeated scandals — especially among senior monks — have "shaken people to the core".
"People question whether donations are used for spiritual significance or personal desire," he told AFP.
"I think Thailand has reached a point where it's difficult for monks to even walk down the street."
A powerful lawmaker has pledged tighter regulations within three months — including mandatory donation disclosures and laws treating monk misconduct as a criminal offence.
"This case does not represent Buddhism as a whole," said national police chief Kitrat Panphet on Thursday, pledging a new task force to probe misbehaving monks.
"It's about a few individuals doing wrong," he said.
'Never lose faith'
In Buddhist tradition monks are viewed as the Buddha's spiritual heirs, entrusted with preserving and passing on his teachings.
But at Wat Bowonniwet in Bangkok — one of Thailand's most revered temples — only 26 monks were ordained this year, a steep drop from nearly 100 before the Covid-19 pandemic.
A monk there, speaking to AFP anonymously, blamed societal changes after the pandemic, which forced people into isolation — saying nowadays "people prefer to live outside the temple life".
But independent Buddhism expert Jaturong Jongarsa said temples are increasingly being treated as "a garbage dump" — where families send drug addicts or LGBTQ youth to be "corrected".
"Temples are no longer seen as the sacred spaces they once were," he told AFP. "People send their problems to the temple and hope they'll go away."
Still, not all Thais have lost faith.
Camphun Parimiphut, a 52-year-old security guard from Maha Sarakham in Thailand's northeast, said: "Buddhism is about the teachings, not the individuals who fail it".
Because of corruption scandals he now avoids giving money to monks — preferring to donate only food. But his devotion remains steadfast.
"You can lose faith in monks," he said. "But never lose trust in Buddhist teachings. They still teach us how to live a good life."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Indian tourist arrested in Pattaya for stealing  ₹16,000 from transgender woman
Indian tourist arrested in Pattaya for stealing  ₹16,000 from transgender woman

Mint

time15 minutes ago

  • Mint

Indian tourist arrested in Pattaya for stealing ₹16,000 from transgender woman

A 34-year-old Indian man, allegedly intoxicated, was arrested in Thailand's Pattaya for reportedly stealing cash from the purse of a transgender woman he had met on Walking Street -- a location well known for its nightlife. The 27-year-old transgender woman, identified as Nong Ploy, filed a police complaint on July 18, accusing the man of stealing 7,000 baht (approximately ₹ 16,100), The Pattaya News reported. Ploy told the media outlet that she met the suspect at an Indian-themed pub on Walking Street, where they struck up a conversation and later decided to continue drinking at his guesthouse room. Upon her arrival, the man allegedly persuaded her to take a shower. When she came out, she noticed him closing a safe in a suspicious manner. On checking her belongings, she realised that 7,000 baht had been stolen from her bag. When she tried to leave, the suspect reportedly stopped her and prevented her from exiting the room. Hotel staff intervened after hearing the woman's cries for help and alerted the police. Nong stated that the man appeared intoxicated and possibly under the influence of drugs, displaying erratic behaviour, including sticking out his tongue and acting in a bizarre manner. Thai police have detained the man, and he remains in custody. An investigation has been launched. In a similar incident, a 38-year-old Indian man was arrested for allegedly stealing items worth ₹ 3.5 lakh from 14 shops at Singapore's Jewel Changi Airport before flying out of the country. According to The Straits Times, the stolen goods included perfumes, cosmetics, and bags worth a total of SGD 5,136. The suspect left Singapore after committing the thefts but was arrested on June 1 upon returning and transiting through Changi Airport. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed his arrest in a press release on July 23, stating that the stolen items had been recovered. He is expected to be charged with theft and fraudulent possession of property on July 25. The thefts first came to light when a retail supervisor discovered a missing bag during a stock-taking exercise. CCTV footage revealed the man stealing the item and leaving the shop without paying. Authorities identified him, but he had already left the country by then. Police later warned, 'Offenders should not think that they can evade capture by quickly boarding a flight."

Freed after 19 years, India train blast accused look to rebuild lives
Freed after 19 years, India train blast accused look to rebuild lives

Hindustan Times

time37 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Freed after 19 years, India train blast accused look to rebuild lives

Nearly two decades lost, a family fractured and a city still without closure the scars of the 2006 Mumbai train bombings remain, even as the men once blamed for the deadly attacks walk free. Freed after 19 years, India train blast accused look to rebuild lives After 19 years behind bars, Mohammad Sajid Margub Ansari can finally hold his daughter in his arms. Ansari, now 48, was one of 12 men convicted in 2015 for murder, conspiracy and waging war against India over the 2006 train blasts. The evening rush-hour attacks, carried out with pressure-cooker bombs hidden in bags beneath newspapers and umbrellas, killed 187 people and wounded hundreds more. Five of the accused were sentenced to death, while the other seven including Ansari were given life imprisonment. At the time of the blasts, Ansari was just 29, running a modest mobile and computer repair shop. He was arrested soon after the explosions, reportedly accused of assembling the bombs and sheltering two Pakistani nationals. But this week, a two-judge bench of the Bombay High Court overturned the convictions, ruling that the prosecution had "utterly failed" to prove the men were responsible. The prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court to halt their release, but it declined to intervene. "It feels amazing to be free," Ansari told AFP. "We are innocent." Freedom, however, feels bittersweet for Ansari. "My whole youth is gone. My family had to face financial troubles," he said. His wife was pregnant when Ansari was arrested, leaving him to miss his daughter's entire childhood. In her early years, she wouldn't even come near him. "As a dad that felt terrible, that I could not hold my own daughter," he said. "I used to feel very helpless and think why do we have to go through all this when I am innocent." The 2006 attacks were initially blamed on the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, although a little-known outfit, Lashkar-e-Qahhar, later claimed responsibility. Pakistan denied the allegations. For survivor Chirag Chauhan, who was paralysed from the waist down in one of the blasts, the acquittal of the men felt like being dragged "back to square one". "We don't know what to do and where to start from. The entire system is hopeless," he told AFP. In 2006, Chauhan, now 40, was returning home from chartered accountancy training when the train he boarded was hit by an explosion. Prosecutors said the explosives were deliberately placed in first-class coaches to target the city's wealthy Gujarati community. They also said the bombings were intended as revenge for riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002, which left around 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims. A spinal cord injury left Chauhan requiring the use of a wheelchair. "After 19 years if the accused are let free, who carried out the blasts then?" he asked. But he also said there should be a "fair investigation", noting that the now freed men could have been framed. "All are equally to be blamed, the judiciary, the investigative agencies, everyone," he said. For Ansari, his years behind bars demand more than an acquittal. "The agencies should be ashamed of what they did and should definitely apologise to us," he said. While his old mobile and computer repair shop is no longer an employment option, given the advances in technology since he was imprisoned, Ansari is aiming to rebuild his life. He plans to finish the undergraduate law degree which he enrolled in while in prison. "I hope to put it to good use," he said. asv-ash/abh/cdl/sco This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store