Thai woman arrested for ‘seducing' monks in $11.9 million blackmail scheme
Her scheme unraveled when a prominent Bangkok abbot suddenly quit monkhood after she demanded 7.2 million baht ($222,000), falsely claiming pregnancy.
Authorities seized over 80,000 explicit photos/videos during a raid on her Nonthaburi home, calling her "dangerous" due to the scale of her operation.
Thai police arrested Wilawan Emsawat ("Ms. Golf") for allegedly seducing senior Buddhist monks and blackmailing them with intimate photos and videos. The 30-year-old targeted at least nine abbots and high-ranking monks, violating strict celibacy rules of Thailand's Theravada Buddhist tradition.
Her scheme unraveled when a prominent Bangkok abbot suddenly quit monkhood after she demanded 7.2 million baht ($222,000), falsely claiming pregnancy.
Authorities seized over 80,000 explicit photos/videos during a raid on her Nonthaburi home, calling her "dangerous" due to the scale of her operation.
Monks allegedly paid Wilawan from temple donation accounts, funneling 385 million baht ($11.9 million) to her over three years . Police traced transfers from multiple monasteries, revealing how abbots diverted religious funds, including one northern temple's entire bank reserve.
Most money vanished into online gambling sites, with investigators finding only minimal remaining balances. The scandal highlights the vast, poorly monitored donations to Thailand's 40,000+ temples, contrasting with monks' vows of poverty.
Nine senior monks have been expelled from the monkhood, with more under investigation . Thailand's King Vajiralongkorn revoked royal honors from 81 monks following the scandal, citing "great suffering" caused to Buddhists .
Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai ordered urgent reforms: tightening financial oversight at temples, creating stricter penalties for monk misconduct, and launching a Facebook hotline for public reports.
According to reports, The Sangha Supreme Council (Buddhism's governing body) will form a special committee to overhaul monastic rules. Meanwhile, police continue analyzing Wilawan's phone data, which suggests more monks may be implicated. She faces charges including extortion and money laundering while awaiting trial.
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