AP
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Thai police arrested the woman on Tuesday, but he seduced a string of Buddhist monks into sexual relations and then pressured them to make a massive payment to hide their intimacy.
Possible violations of monks’ single rule have rocked Buddhist institutions in Thailand in recent weeks and attracted the attention of the public. At least nine Abbotts and the senior monks involved in the scandal were stripped of the monkshood and kicked out, Thai police Central Investigation Bureau said.
In his mid-30s, Wilawan M-Sawat was arrested on charges of fear, money laundering and receiving stolen goods at his home in northern Tabri, north of Bangkok. Police say they traced the money transferred to her by a senior monk from a bank account belonging to his temple in northern Thailand.
Willawan has not made a statement since his arrest, and it was unclear whether she has a legal representative. Talked to local media before arresting her, she said she had admitted one relationship and gave the monk money.
Scandals involving the Ks surface several times a year in Thailand, but usually do not involve senior members of the clergy. The incident also highlights the large amount of money donated to temples controlled by Abbott.
Willawlang intentionally targeted the senior monks for financial gain, and police said they discovered that some monks had transferred large amounts of money after Willangang began a romantic relationship with them.
Wilawan’s bank account has received about 385 million baht ($11.9 million) over the past three years, but most of the money has been spent on online gambling websites, police said.
Jaroonkiat Pankaew, deputy committee member of the Central Bureau of Investigation, said the investigation was started after the abbot of a famous temple in Bangkok suddenly left the monk.
Investigators discovered that Abbott was allegedly threatened by Willawan about their romantic relationship. She told the monk that she was pregnant and asked him to pay him 7.2 million baht ($222,000) in financial support, Jarowkiat said at a press conference in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Police believed that “this woman is dangerous and we need to arrest her as soon as possible.”
Thai media reported that her mobile search revealed tens of thousands of photos and videos. We also reported many chat logs showing intimacy with some monks.
Thai monks are primarily members of the Teravada faction, who are single and require that they refrain from even touching women.
Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai ordered the authorities to consider and consider existing laws related to the transparency of the finances of monks and temples, particularly temples, to restore faith in Buddhism, government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said on Tuesday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has set up a Facebook page for people to report monks who are cheating, Jaroonkiat said.
“We will investigate monks across the country,” he said. “We believe the ripple effects of this study will lead to many changes.”
