Thailand meth scandal: Four Buddhist monks arrested for drug use in temple drug crackdown
Four Buddhist monks from Thailand’s Si Sa Ket province have been arrested and defrocked after testing positive for methamphetamine during a police drug sweep.
The group who were based at temples in the Nam Kliang subdistrict admitted to using the drug.
The monks claimed the drug was taken to relieve physical pain and to also mark the beginning of Buddhist Lent, Bangkok Post reported.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The arrests took place on July 17, after local authorities received tip-offs from residents concerned about unusual activity at several temples in the region. Anonymous reports alleged that the religious sites had become gathering points for suspicious behaviour, with young people seen entering and exiting frequently.
In response, officers conducted a sweep of temples in the area and carried out initial urine screenings.
Four monks tested positive for methamphetamine and later confessed to using the drug.
All four were immediately defrocked and transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
The arrests follow a separate, widely publicised scandal involving a woman accused of seducing and blackmailing monks.
Thai police say Wilawan Emsawat, 35, cultivated intimate relationships with a number of monks, including a senior abbot, before extorting a total of 385 million baht (about AUD$18 million) to keep the affairs quiet.
Sexual intimacy is strictly forbidden for monks under the Theravada sect, which requires abstention from all forms of sexual contact and prohibits even touching women.
Police say Emsawat told one abbot she was pregnant and demanded 7.2 million baht (about AUD$341,000) in financial support. Investigators later traced money transfers from a senior monk’s temple bank account in northern Thailand to Emsawat.
She was taken into custody in Bangkok on Tuesday and charged with extortion, money laundering, and receiving stolen goods.
Authorities have also launched a Facebook page to allow members of the public to report misconduct among monks.
