Latest news with #Nonthaburi
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
How a Thai woman boasted about being showered in luxury gifts just hours before being arrested 'for filming herself having sex with monks to blackmail them out of MILLIONS'
A Thai woman arrested for allegedly recording herself having sex with Buddhist monks and then extorting them has revealed astonishing details of how they showered her with luxury cars and millions of pounds to fund a lavish lifestyle because they were so besotted by her. Wilawan Emsawat, 35, known as Sika Golf, is accused of blackmailing some of the country's most senior monks by threatening to publicise photos and videos of them having sex with her. She was arrested on Tuesday with police in Thailand claiming that she received close to £9 million after uncovering a cache of some 80,000 photos and videos allegedly used in the blackmail plot. But prior to her arrest at her luxury flat in the city of Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok Emsawat gave a moving interview to a leading Thai news programme detailing her sexual relations with several senior monks, insisting that it was all consensual and that they voluntarily gave her money. She revealed that her first relationship with a religious figure was with the Chief Monk of Phichit Province in 2015, which is located in the north of the country where she was born and raised. He contacted her out of the blue on LINE, Thailand's equivalent of WhatsApp where they started chatting in a 'romantic way,' and became 'like boyfriend and girlfriend.' Asked where they had sex, she replied that it was in a 'kuti' a traditional hut designed to house monks. She said: 'He never came to my house or met anywhere else. I usually went to see him in the early evening, around 7pm or 8pm, when he called me over. 'It was like any normal situation where two people are emotionally close. It felt natural, and that's how it happened—we became intimate.' The Chief Monk she was referring to has been named as Phra Thep Watchara Sitthi Methi, 60 who was a monk for 40 years but has since left the monkhood following the scandal. Buddhist monks in Thailand, who are highly revered must swear a vow of celibacy and are not even supposed to touch women. Emsawat revealed that the Chief Monk of Phichit once bought her a Mercedes Benz SLK 200 for almost £70,000, a £50,000 jeep and gave her money whenever she wanted it, often running into tens of thousands of pounds each month. She told Honse Krasse, one of the country's most popular news anchors: 'He took care of everything for me. I wasn't wealthy or anything. He didn't give me a fixed allowance, but he gave me what I asked for. Sometimes thousands, tens of thousands, even up to millions of baht. He really took care of me in every way. Everything was good.' Police claim that of the near £9 million she is alleged to have extorted all of it has gone and they Emsawat only had £180 in her bank account at the time of her arrest. They allege that she blew most of the money on her lavish lifestyle and online gambling. She is facing charges including extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods but denies any wrongdoing. She revealed on the Thai news show that she was raised by a single mother who earned less than £2 per day and that they were desperately poor. She has been previously married three times and has three children, according to local reports. Her first husband was a naval officer, who she married shortly before her 18th birthday, but they did not have any children and split after a year. Then she had a relationship with a DJ with whom she had a son who is now aged 13 but the relationship did not last as he was already married with his own family. She then met and married a local doctor, who she names only as Dr Suriya with whom she had a child. But the marriage ended after two years, and she then married a local politician but is no longer with him. She revealed that at one point during her second marriage she was also seeing the Chief Monk of Phichit Province but around 2023 decided to move to Bangkok as their affair had come to the attention of local Buddhist leaders and generated controversy. But she revealed that he continued to maintain contact with her even when she lived in the Thai capital. She said: 'He asked me to send him inappropriate photos. There was one time he had an event up north and stayed at a hotel. I was also there with someone else. He messaged me saying what room he was in and told me to come see him.' Emsawat admitted that after resettling in Bangkok she also started having an affair with the Chief Monk of Phitsanulok, a city in the centre of the country. He has been named as Phra Ratcha Rattanasuthi, 54 who has also since left the monkhood. In total, Emsawat is accused of being involved with 13 monks nine of whom have already been disrobed. Asked how her affair with the Chief Monk of Phitsanulok started, she said: 'We had been talking for a while and became close. One day, he invited me to come to his kuti. I drove over, and he came out to see me. We sat and talked in the car. When I was about to leave, he asked if I could stay. 'He said, 'Can you not go? Just come back for a bit.' So I turned around and came back. Then he asked if I wanted to go for a drive? We went to the Buddhist college in Phitsanulok. We parked there and ended up being intimate in the car.' Asked if she felt morally comfortable with seeing him or any other monk, she admitted that she felt guilty because she believed it 'was a sin' but maintained that she was driven by financial necessity. She said: 'Yes. At that point, I was okay with it. I was just focused on doing whatever it took to give my children a better life. I already had two kids by then.' She added: 'I felt it was wrong, but I felt like I needed the money. I just wanted to survive because I had no one else to support me.' Police in Thailand told MailOnline that they started investigating Emsawat after a monk who was allegedly seeing her disappeared after she was accused of demanding close to £180,000 from him. They also received reports that funds had gone missing from several temples with their enquiries showing that the money had been paid to her. Emsawat was remanded in custody at Bangkok's Central Women's Correctional Institution and is expected to appear in court in two weeks' time.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman Allegedly Had Sex with Buddhist Monks — and then Blackmailed Them for More than $11M: Authorities
NEED TO KNOW A Thai woman has been arrested and charged with extortion after investigators allege she blackmailed a handful of monks Thai police allege the woman blackmailed the monks after having sexual relationships with them Authorities allege that the 35-year-old woman received roughly $11.9 million in blackmail payments over the last three yearsPolice in Thailand have arrested a woman who allegedly seduced a group of Buddhist monks, had sexual relationships with them and then blackmailed them. Wilawan Emsawat was arrested Tuesday at her home in the Nonthaburi province north of Bangkok and charged with extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods, according to the Associated Press, Sky News, and The Times. According to the outlets, the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau said it began investigating the 35-year-old woman after an abbot – the head of a monastery – at a temple in Bangkok had abruptly given up his vocation and left the country last month. Investigators discovered that Emsawat had allegedly been attempting to blackmail the abbot, telling him that she became pregnant after their secret sexual encounter, asking him to pay roughly $222,000 to help with the pregnancy, according to the AP. The Times reported that the abbot fled to Laos after he refused to pay Emsawat and she began telling other monks about their intimacy, which is forbidden under the religious figures' code of celibacy. The outlet reported that authorities then seized five of Emsawat's phones during its investigation and discovered videos and images of her engaging in sexual acts with a number of monks. The AP reported that investigators found 'tens of thousands of photos and videos' on the devices, as well as chats between her and several monks that indicate they had intimate relationships. In total, the outlets reported that nine abbots and senior monks have stepped down from their roles or been thrown out of the monkhood in relation to Emsawat's case. Overall, authorities say Emsawat had received roughly $11.9 million in payments over the last three years – most of which, investigators claim, has been spent on online gambling websites, according to the AP. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sky News reported that the Thai government has now vowed to expand its investigation as concern about monks breaking celibacy vows has grown across the country. "We will investigate monks across the country," Central Investigation Bureau deputy commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew said, according to the outlet. "I believe that the ripple effects of this investigation will lead to a lot of changes." Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Thai woman 'filmed secret sex with Buddhist monks in blackmail plot that made her MILLIONS so she could maintain luxury lifestyle after politician husband left her... because she was unfaithful'
A woman has been charged with extortion in Thailand after allegedly recording herself having sex with Buddhist monks and then demanding money to support her lifestyle. Wilawan Emsawat, 35, known as Sika Golf, is accused of blackmailing senior monks at popular temples in several provinces, as well as money laundering and receiving stolen goods, the Bangkok Post reports. Police said they had uncovered a cache of some 80,000 sexually explicit pictures and videos involving multiple senior monks at various temples across the country after sweeping devices found at her home. One video shared by police shows a monk reclining on Emsawat on a sofa before she slaps him on the head. Five mobile devices were said to contain clips and stills of her engaged in sexual acts with several monks, some of whom were still wearing their traditional orange robes, according to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). Emsawat was arrested on Tuesday at her home in Nonthaburi province. Police sources told the Bangkok Post that Emsawat was the wife of a local politician who left her after learning that she phoned lovers at night and received donations given to the monks, re-gifted to her. She was reportedly renting a 'luxury house' for 30,000-40,000 baht per month, and would rent a 'luxury car' to travel to temples to polish up her image, according to local media. Authorities understand that Emsawat would form close relationships with monks before demanding money to keep the details private. She is believed to have raked in almost £9million by allegedly blackmailing religious figures with footage of her encounters. In an interview on the show Hone Krasae, Emsawat said she first fell in love with a 'married' monk in her native Phichit province in 2013. She said he bought her a Mercedes Benz for three million baht (£68,848), 3 Plus News reports. She said the monk had people at a temple transfer money to her and even gave her a card to spend on. The monk would allegedly come to visit her, but they never started a formal relationship, she said. Emsawat claimed to have started dating another monk she met on Facebook around 2018 before having sex without protection and falling pregnant. 'At first, I didn't believe it myself, but I didn't have sex with anyone except' the monk she claimed, as reported by 3 Plus News. 'Our relationship was not a threat. It was a relationship like a couple. It was not forced,' she said, adding: 'But I admit that everything happened because of me. I did something wrong.' A child was said to have been born in 2019 and 'the matter ended when he gave me some money'. She claimed to have raised the child by herself for two to three years before asking him for help. 'We agreed on what to do because I couldn't handle it anymore. In 2021, he agreed to give me only 100,000 baht [£2,294.94] per year, and we didn't have a relationship at all. We didn't see each other much, it was hard to contact him. I didn't want to have him. He didn't seem to love me,' she told Hone Krasae. She told the outlet she was raised in poverty by her single mother, who earned just 8- baht a day (£1.84). 'She grew up in hardship, which made her grow up not afraid to use various methods to survive,' the outlet summarised. Pol Col Anek Taosuparp, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said that Emsawat has denied the charges of extortion and unlawful detention, translated as 'infringement of freedom' under Thai law, claiming that she only borrowed money and asked for cooperation, not coercion, reports. Matters came to a head after Phra Thep Wachirapamok, the abbot of Bangkok's Wat Tri Thotsathep Worawihan temple, suddenly renounced his monkhood and vanished across the border into Laos in June. The 53-year-old monk had allegedly been in a secret relationship with Emsawat, who claimed to be pregnant and demanded a huge £179,000 from him. When he refused to pay, she exposed their affair to fellow monks and he fled the country in disgrace. Emsawat was arrested on Tuesday and was initially held at the Central Investigation Bureau in Bangkok before being moved to the Central Women's Correctional Institution for a 12-day detention. Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew, who is leading the investigation, said his team is now meticulously reviewing video evidence to identify 'monastic unchastity'. The authorities are trying to bring in all former monks who have been disrobed to provide information to help the case. One monk has admitted that Emsawat had gifted him a car during their secret romance, but said that things turned sour when he discovered she was also involved with another monk. When he confronted her, she allegedly began blackmailing him for money. Investigators on Thursday objected to granting bail, citing the many victims in the case, the scale of damages and concern she might attempt to flee, the Thai outlet Daily News reports. The accused did not submit a request for bail. The case has rocked Thailand and brought into focus perceived corruption within the temples. Prayut Prathetsena, vice-president of the Dharma Army Lawyers Foundation, told Thai PBS that many temples are rich in cash and assets, managed by senior monks. Monks earn money for leading private Buddhist ceremonies, she explained, and do not pay taxes on their earnings, 'so their wealth simply accumulates'. Temples receive state funding, and some monks earn fortunes from selling temple amulets. She explained that 'it is not unusual for a senior monk to have 50 million baht (£1,147,958) in his personal account' - in a country where the average wage is around 16,000 baht (£367.35) per month. 'Neither the donors nor the monks are really at fault. The blame mostly lies with the system,' Prathetsena told the outlet. Police said on Tuesday that Emsawat had received around 385mn baht (£8,842,541) over the past three years, and had lost most of it gambling. One charge related to money laundering from a case in which she is alleged to have received 380,000 baht (£8,700) from Wat Chujittharam in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thairath reports. A wat is a type of Buddhist temple. A former abbot is reported to have admitted that he had initially transferred a total of 12.8mn baht (£293,877) from his own account before using the temple's bank account to send a further 380,000 baht (£8,700) because, she claimed, she needed money to invest in a ceramics business. Police also revealed that Emsawat has also been charged with fraud over an old complaint from a former director of Buddhism in Phichit. Pol Col Taosuparp said the former director lent 400,000 baht (£9,200) to Emsawat, who claimed she needed the money for medical treatment, citing a relationship with a senior monk in Phichit. The CSD is also prosecuting Emsawat for the alleged extortion of 8,000 baht (£180) from a former assistant abbot working in Chachoengsao province. Since police seized Emsawat's phones, some monks have confessed to being involved in long-standing affairs with her - a violation of their sacred vow of celibacy. All are now expected to be derobed in accordance with Buddhist laws. Phra Khru Srirattanawichian, a monk at Wat Tha Bua Thong, admitted making a mistake in talking to Emsawat and transferring money to her. He said that the money did not belong to the temple, but believed it to nonetheless bring 'bad karma'. He said he would find a temple to disrobe him on Thursday, Thairath reports. 'In the past, I ordained as a monk and did my best. But from now on, when I disrobe, I will perform my duties as a layman and continue living my life,' he said. 'However, I would like to confirm that I have never given any temple money to Ms. Golf. Every time the temple event is held, I pay for it myself because the temple does not have a budget.' 'If you ask whether I had sex with Ms. Golf, I did not. We only talked,' he clarified. A committee in the senate has now called for sex with monks to be made a crime, but the proposal has angered those who say that men should be held responsible for their own actions. 'The scandal exposes a system of lies and hypocrisy among top monks,' Sanitsuda Ekachai, a columnist for the Bangkok Post, wrote. 'Women have long been depicted in mainstream teachings as 'enemies' of monks' spiritual purity… and now, when the clergy's moral decay is in full view, it's the woman who takes the fall while the monks are cast as victims.' The scandal has triggered soul-searching across Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist nation, where monks are expected to live in humble purity. Critics say the institution has lost its way. Respected columnist Ekachai wrote: 'Monks must ask themselves: Why did they enter monkhood? For spiritual training, or to climb the social ladder and gain wealth and power through the saffron robe? 'This is structural rot rooted in a clergy strong on authoritarian control but weak on monastic discipline. It's the bitter fruit of a system that has drifted far from the Buddha's path.' The case has sent shockwaves through the Buddhist world and raised urgent questions about transparency, discipline, and the growing cracks beneath the surface of Thailand's religious elite.
Sky News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Buddhist monk sex scandal grips Thailand as woman arrested
A sex scandal has rocked Thailand's Buddhist clergy after a woman allegedly enticed a string of monks into having sex with her and then blackmailed them. At least nine abbots and senior monks have been disrobed and cast out of the monkhood, the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau said. Wilawan Emsawat, in her mid-30s, is accused of enticing senior monks into having sex with her and then pressuring them into making large payments to cover it up. Thai monks are largely members of the Theravada sect, which requires them to be celibate and refrain from even touching a woman. Several monks transferred large amounts of money after Wilawan initiated romantic relationships with them, police said -her bank accounts received around 385 million baht (£8.8m) in the past three years, with most of that spent on gambling websites. Wilawan was arrested at her home in Nonthaburi province, north of the capital Bangkok, on charges including extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods. Thai media reported a search of her mobile phones revealed tens of thousands of photos and videos, as well as numerous chat logs indicating intimacy with several monks, many of which could be used for blackmail. An investigation was launched last month after an abbot of a famous temple in Bangkok abruptly left the monkhood. He had allegedly been blackmailed by Wilawan over their romantic relationship, investigators found. She told the monk she was pregnant and asked him to pay her 7.2 million baht (£165,000), Jaroonkiat Pankaew, a Central Investigation Bureau deputy commissioner, said at a news conference in Bangkok on Tuesday. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai ordered authorities to review and consider tightening existing laws related to monks and temples, especially the transparency of temple finances, to restore faith in Buddhism, government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said on Tuesday. The Central Investigation Bureau has set up a Facebook page for people to report monks who misbehave, Mr Jaroonkiat said. "We will investigate monks across the country," he said. "I believe that the ripple effects of this investigation will lead to a lot of changes."
ABC News
5 days ago
- ABC News
Thai woman arrested for allegedly seducing and blackmailing Buddhist monks
Police in Thailand have arrested a woman who allegedly enticed a string of Buddhist monks into sexual relationships and then pressured them into making large payments to cover up their intimacy. The possible violation of the celibacy rule for monks has rocked Buddhist institutions and gripped public attention in Thailand in recent weeks. At least nine abbots and senior monks involved in the scandal have been disrobed and cast out of the monkhood, the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau said. Wilawan Emsawat, was arrested at her home in Nonthaburi province north of the capital Bangkok on charges including extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods. Police said they traced money transferred to her by a senior monk from a bank account belonging to his temple in northern Thailand. Ms Emsawat has not made a statement since her arrest and it was unclear if she has legal representation. Speaking to local media before her arrest, she acknowledged one relationship and said she had given money to that monk. Scandals involving monks surface a few times a year in Thailand but usually don't involve senior members of the clergy. The case also puts a spotlight on the large sums of money donated to temples controlled by abbots, which is in marked contrast to the abstemious lives they are supposed to lead under their religion's precepts. Ms Emsawat, deliberately targeted senior monks for financial gain, police said, noting they found several monks had transferred large amounts of money after she initiated romantic relationships with them. Her bank accounts received around 385 million baht ($18.1 million) in the past three years, but most of the funds were spent on online gambling websites, police said. Jaroonkiat Pankaew, a Central Investigation Bureau deputy commissioner, said the investigation began last month after an abbot of a famous temple in Bangkok abruptly left the monkhood. Investigators found the abbot had allegedly been blackmailed by Ms Emsawat, over their romantic relationship. She told the monk that she was pregnant and asked him to pay 7.2 million baht ($339 million) in financial assistance, Mr Pankaew said at a news conference in Bangkok on Tuesday. Police believed "this woman is dangerous and we needed to arrest her as soon as possible," Mr Pankaew said. Thai media reported a search of her mobile phones revealed tens of thousands of photos and videos, as well as numerous chat logs indicating intimacy with several monks, many of which could be used for blackmail. Thai monks are largely members of the Theravada sect, which requires them to be celibate and refrain from even touching a woman. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai ordered authorities to review and consider tightening existing laws related to monks and temples, especially the transparency of temple finances, to restore faith in Buddhism, government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said Tuesday. The Central Investigation Bureau has set up a Facebook page for people to report monks who misbehave, Mr Pankaew said. "We will investigate monks across the country," he said. "I believe that the ripple effects of this investigation will lead to a lot of changes." AP
