Latest news with #monks
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Thai monk sex scandal leaves devout questioning faith: ‘I don't have full respect for it'
Published: 2:06pm, 19 Jul 2025 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 US$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 said. 'I don't have full respect for it any more.' King Maha Vajiralongkorn has cancelled invitations to more than 80 monks who had been due to attend his coming 73rd birthday celebrations, citing 'inappropriate behaviour that caused mental distress among the Thai people'.
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Misbehaving monks: Sex scandal shakes Thai Buddhist faithful
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". '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." © 2025 AFP
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Call to prosecute women who have sex with monks after ‘seductress' scandal
Women should be prosecuted for having sex with monks, Thai politicians have proposed, amid a nationwide scandal over an alleged 'blackmailing seductress'. The proposal has been condemned as misogynistic and hypocritical, with critics saying it would cast women unfairly as sexual predators and monks as unwilling victims. Warawut Tiranan, a senior Thai politician, said that laws should be changed so that women who had sex with monks could face criminal prosecution. There are currently no penalties for women who sleep with monks or abbots. Monks are supposed to uphold their vows of celibacy and if caught up in sex scandals, face defrocking and disgrace. Mr Warawut, the deputy chairman of a senate committee on religious affairs and ethics, suggested that the scandal, in which a 35-year-old woman is accused of blackmailing monks she slept with and extorting millions of pounds from temple funds, was a conspiracy to damage the image of Buddhism. 'This was definitely a plot to destroy Buddhism by having senior monks defrocked,' Mr Warawut said, without indicating who might be behind the conspiracy. Ittiporn Chan-iam, director of the National Office of Buddhism, said that women who had sex with monks should face up to seven years in prison and fines of up to 140,000 baht (£3,200). Monks found to have broken their vows of chastity would face the same penalties. Wilawan Emsawat, the woman at the heart of the scandal, is accused of seducing monks and then blackmailing them with explicit photos and videos she took of their sexual acts. She is alleged to have made millions of pounds from extorting the prelates, some of whom allegedly had sex with her while still dressed in their orange religious robes. Ms Wilawan, who was arrested at her home on Tuesday, has been charged with laundering money, receiving stolen goods and embezzling temple funds. But the investigation is now widening as police scrutinise the 80,000 sex photos and videos they allegedly found on her mobile phones for 'monastic unchastity'. There is speculation that many more monks and abbots will be identified from the alleged images. The idea of prosecuting women for their involvement in clerical sex scandals was misogynistic and unfair, critics said. 'Women have long been depicted in mainstream teachings as 'enemies' of monks' spiritual purity. Some temple murals even show them as snakes. 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,' columnist Sanitsuda Ekachai wrote in the Bangkok Post. 'Give me a break. Isn't it the monks who broke their vows of celibacy?' she added. Rather than target women, Thailand's authorities should concentrate on cleaning up the corruption, greed, hypocrisy and deeply embedded 'feudalism' of the country's Buddhist clergy, she said. She said that Ms Wilawan had been portrayed as 'a scheming gold digger who preyed on rich monks with promises of large donations. Then after gaining intimacy, she blackmailed them. This makes for juicy headlines, but it also reveals something darker: the deep misogyny embedded in Thai Buddhism.' The scandal erupted in June after the abbot of a famous temple in Bangkok abruptly disappeared. Ms Wilawan was said to have seduced the abbot before telling him she was pregnant and asking for 7.2m baht (£165,000) in child support. She is alleged to have made around 385m baht (£8.8m) in the past three years, but most of the money was spent on online gambling websites, police said. Ms Wilawan was reportedly married to a Thai politician but he is said to have left her after discovering her infidelity. At least a dozen Buddhist temples are now under investigation, according to Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the cybercrime investigation bureau of the Royal Thai Police. Around 10 monks have been defrocked so far. Ms Wilawan 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.
Yahoo
5 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
Sky News
5 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."
