A intercourse scandal has rocked Thailand’s Buddhist clergy after a lady allegedly enticed a string of monks into having intercourse together with her after which blackmailed them.
No less than 9 abbots and senior monks have been disrobed and solid out of the monkhood, the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau mentioned.
Wilawan Emsawat, in her mid-30s, is accused of engaging senior monks into having intercourse together with her after which pressuring them into making giant funds to cowl it up.
Thai monks are largely members of the Theravada sect, which requires them to be celibate and chorus from even touching a lady.
A number of monks transferred giant quantities of cash after Wilawan initiated romantic relationships with them, police mentioned -her financial institution accounts obtained round 385 million baht (£8.8m) previously three years, with most of that spent on playing web sites.
Wilawan was arrested at her house in Nonthaburi province, north of the capital Bangkok, on fees together with extortion, cash laundering and receiving stolen items.
Thai media reported a search of her cellphones revealed tens of 1000’s of pictures and movies, in addition to quite a few chat logs indicating intimacy with a number of monks, a lot of which may very well be used for blackmail.
Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau holding a press convention in Bangkok. Pic: Central Investigation Bureau/AP
An investigation was launched final month after an abbot of a well-known temple in Bangkok abruptly left the monkhood.
He had allegedly been blackmailed by Wilawan over their romantic relationship, investigators discovered.
She informed the monk she was pregnant and requested him to pay her 7.2 million baht (£165,000), Jaroonkiat Pankaew, a Central Investigation Bureau deputy commissioner, mentioned at a information convention in Bangkok on Tuesday.
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Performing Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai ordered authorities to overview and contemplate tightening current legal guidelines associated to monks and temples, particularly the transparency of temple funds, to revive religion in Buddhism, authorities spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub mentioned on Tuesday.
The Central Investigation Bureau has arrange a Fb web page for folks to report monks who misbehave, Mr Jaroonkiat mentioned.
“We are going to examine monks throughout the nation,” he mentioned. “I imagine that the ripple results of this investigation will result in quite a lot of modifications.”
