Thai police arrest a woman for blackmailing monks

Thai police arrest a woman for blackmailing monks

The Thai police arrested a woman on Tuesday who supposedly involved a number of Buddhist monks in sexual relationships and then put them under pressure to pay large sums to keep their intimacy secret.

scandal about monks shakes Buddhism in Thailand

The potential violation of the celibacy for monks has shaken the Buddhist institutions in Thailand in the past few weeks and attracted public attention. At least nine abrases and ranking monks that are involved in the scandal were undressed and excluded from the monasticism, as the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau reported.

arrest and allegations against Wilawan Emsawat

Wilawan Emsawat, a woman in her 30s, was arrested in her house in the province of Nonthaburi north of the capital Bangkok. Among other things, she is accused of extortion, money laundering and the reception of stolen goods. The police said that she transferred money from a rank -high monk from a bank account of his temple in northern Thailand.

financial machinations and сексуelle relationships

Wilawan has not made a statement since she was arrested, and it is unclear whether she has legal support. In conversations with local media before her arrest, she admitted a relationship with a monk and confirmed that he had given him money.

Only recently dipped scandals around Mönche , which, however, usually do not affect rank. The case is skill in the great money sums that are donated to temples that are controlled by abbots, which represents a distinctive contrast to the modest life that they should lead in accordance with the requirements of their religion.

The investigation and brutality of the extortion

Wilawan specifically addressed high -ranking monks for financial reasons. The police found that several monks had transferred large sums of money after Wilawan had started romantic relationships with them. In the past three years, Wilawan's bank account has received about 385 million baht ($ 11.9 million), with the majority of the funds for online gambling, the police said.

Jaroonkiat Pankaew, a deputy commissioner of Central Investigation Bureau, said that the investigation started last month after a abbot of a famous temple in Bangkok abruptly left the monks. Investigators found that the Abbot was supposedly blackmailed by Wilawan about her romantic relationship. She had told the monk that she was pregnant and asked him for 7.2 million baht ($ 222,000) to support her, as Jaroonkiat explained at a press conference in Bangkok.

security concerns and social reactions

The police said that they considered Wilawan to be dangerous and had to arrest them immediately. Thai media reported on the search of their mobile phones, in which tens of thousands of photos and videos as well as numerous chats were discovered, the intimities with several monks, many of which could be used for blackmail purposes.

Thai monks belong mostly to the Theravada sect, which they require to live celibate and to avoid contact with women themselves. The incumbent Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayaci ordered that the authorities check existing laws regarding monks and temples and, if necessary, tighten, especially with regard to the transparency of temple finances, to restore trust in Buddhism.

call to report misconduct

The Central Investigation Bureau has set up a Facebook page on which people can report misconduct from monks. "We will examine monks across the country," said Jaroonkiat. "I believe that the effects of these investigations will lead to many changes."