Latest news with #Mongkol
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- New Indian Express
Misbehaving monks: Sex scandal shakes Thailand's Buddhist faithful
'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."
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
3 rare tiger cubs seen on camera in Thai national park for first time
A national park in Thailand has not one but three reasons to celebrate after confirming a rare Bengal tiger is raising a trio of cubs in the protected area. Park rangers first spotted a single cub with its mother on a camera trap last year in Kaeng Krachan National Park, around 80 miles southwest of Bangkok. But further footage, retrieved only this week from cameras damaged by heavy rain last year, confirmed that the litter is three-strong. "This is the first time we have recorded a tiger raising three cubs in the national park," Kaeng Krachan National Park chief Mongkol Chaipakdee said in a statement sent to AFP on Friday. "We were only able to recover the footage this week because our camera was damaged due to rain last year." The camera trap footage shows the three cubs scampering in a forest while their mother prowls around. The video of the feline family captured in July was published by the national park on its Facebook page on Wednesday. "Based on the timeline, we estimate the cubs are now about six months old," Mongkol said. The park later announced on social media that it was launching a contest to name the three cubs, with prizes offered to the people who submit the winning entries. Six adult Bengal tigers currently live in Kaeng Krachan National Park -- a UNESCO World Heritage site spread over densely forested mountains along the border with Myanmar -- two males, two females and two whose sex is unknown. Bengal tiger sightings are rare. However, park officials spotted another Bengal tiger in Kui Buri National park, south of the capital Bangkok, earlier this year. It was the first sighting of the animal in that park in a decade, according to Thai authorities. Park chief Atthapong Pao-on told the Bangkok Post that the tiger was spotted after teams installed wildlife camera traps to monitor the area. "Bengal tigers are not only powerful predators, but they are also the indicator of the abundance of nature," he told the Post. Thailand has one of the few remaining breeding populations of Bengal tigers, which roam just a handful of countries, including India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan. Bengal tigers are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened species due to hunting and wildlife trafficking. Today, only around 4,500 are estimated to remain, according to the IUCN. Conservation successes have increased the Bengal tiger populations in India and Nepal in recent years. Commercial plane crashes midair with military helicopter near Reagan National Airport Trump offering "deferred resignation" to government workers unwilling to return to office Officials provide update on midair collision near Reagan National Airport outside D.C.
CBS News
31-01-2025
- General
- CBS News
3 endangered tiger cubs caught on camera in Thai national park for first time
A national park in Thailand has not one but three reasons to celebrate after confirming a rare Bengal tiger is raising a trio of cubs in the protected area. Park rangers first spotted a single cub with its mother on a camera trap last year in Kaeng Krachan National Park, around 80 miles southwest of Bangkok. But further footage, retrieved only this week from cameras damaged by heavy rain last year, confirmed that the litter is three-strong. "This is the first time we have recorded a tiger raising three cubs in the national park," Kaeng Krachan National Park chief Mongkol Chaipakdee said in a statement sent to AFP on Friday. "We were only able to recover the footage this week because our camera was damaged due to rain last year." The camera trap footage shows the three cubs scampering in a forest while their mother prowls around. The video of the feline family captured in July was published by the national park on its Facebook page on Wednesday. "Based on the timeline, we estimate the cubs are now about six months old," Mongkol said. ครั้งแรกในประวัติศาสตร์อุทยานแห่งชาติแก่งกระจาน หัวหน้ามงคลจัดให้ !!! พบลูกเสือโคร่งเดินตามแม่เสือสาว... Posted by อุทยานแห่งชาติแก่งกระจาน - Kaeng Krachan National Park on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 The park later announced on social media that it was launching a contest to name the three cubs, with prizes offered to the people who submit the winning entries. Six adult Bengal tigers currently live in Kaeng Krachan National Park -- a UNESCO World Heritage site spread over densely forested mountains along the border with Myanmar -- two males, two females and two whose sex is unknown. Bengal tiger sightings are rare. However, park officials spotted another Bengal tiger in Kui Buri National park, south of the capital Bangkok, earlier this year. It was the first sighting of the animal in that park in a decade, according to Thai authorities. Park chief Atthapong Pao-on told the Bangkok Post that the tiger was spotted after teams installed wildlife camera traps to monitor the area. "Bengal tigers are not only powerful predators, but they are also the indicator of the abundance of nature," he told the Post. Thailand has one of the few remaining breeding populations of Bengal tigers, which roam just a handful of countries, including India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan. Bengal tigers are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened species due to hunting and wildlife trafficking. Today, only around 4,500 are estimated to remain, according to the IUCN. Conservation successes have increased the Bengal tiger populations in India and Nepal in recent years.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trio of rare tiger cubs spotted in Thai national park
A national park in Thailand has not one but three reasons to celebrate after confirming a rare Bengal tiger is raising a trio of cubs in the protected area. Park rangers first spotted a single cub with its mother on a camera trap last year in Kaeng Krachan National Park, around 130 kilometres (80 miles) southwest of Bangkok. But further footage, retrieved only this week from cameras damaged by heavy rain last year, confirmed that the litter is three-strong. "This is the first time we have recorded a tiger raising three cubs in the national park," Kaeng Krachan National Park chief Mongkol Chaipakdee said in a statement sent to AFP on Friday. "We were only able to recover the footage this week because our camera was damaged due to rain last year." The camera trap footage shows the three cubs scampering in leaf litter while their mother prowls around. The video of the feline family captured in July was published by the national park on its Facebook page on Wednesday. "Based on the timeline, we estimate the cubs are now about six months old," Mongkol said. Six adult Bengal tigers currently live in Kaeng Krachan National Park -- a UNESCO World Heritage site spread over densely forested mountains along the border with Myanmar -- two males, two females and two whose sex is unknown. Bengal tiger sightings are rare. However, park officials spotted another Bengal tiger in Kui Buri National park, south of the capital Bangkok, earlier this year. It was the first sighting of the animal in that park in more than a decade, according to Thai authorities. Thailand has one of the few remaining breeding populations of Bengal tigers, which roam just a handful of countries, including India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan. Bengal tigers are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened species due to hunting and wildlife trafficking. Today, only around 4,500 are estimated to remain, according to the IUCN. Conservation successes have increased the Bengal tiger populations in India and Nepal in recent years. tak/sah-pdw/lb
