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Sky News
2 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."
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Thai police arrest woman in Buddhist monk blackmail and sex scandal
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, in her mid-30s, 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. 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. 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. The scandal has prompted calls for stricter oversight of monk conduct. Photo: dpa Wilawan deliberately targeted senior monks for financial gain, police said, noting they found several monks had transferred large amounts of money after Wilawan initiated romantic relationships with them.
