Two more senior monks left the monkhood on Monday amid an escalating sex and embezzlement scandal involving a woman known only by the nickname “Golf,” bringing the total number of monks who have resigned to eight.
Phra Thepatcharaporn, the abbot of Wat Chujit Thammaram in Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district, disrobed in front of fellow monks, with police and officials from the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission present as witnesses. He was later taken to Bangkok for interrogation at the Central Investigation Bureau’s Anti-Corruption Division.
On the same day, Phra Prariyatthada, an aide to the abbot of Wat Kalayanamitr in Bangkok, also left the monkhood at Wat Ban Khai in Rayong province. He had reportedly been absent from his temple for several days after being linked to Ms Golf.
The scandal centres on inappropriate relationships and suspected financial misconduct involving several senior monks and the 35-year-old woman, who police say posed as a member of Bangkok’s high society.
Investigators believe at least seven or eight current or former monks were romantically or financially entangled with her.
The disrobing of Phra Thepatcharaporn and Phra Prariyatthada follows that of Phra Khru Siriwiriyathada, who stepped down last Thursday at Charoen Dhamma Forest Monastery in Chaiyaphum province.
Investigations Deepen
The case came to light after a covert investigation revealed suspicious money transfers from Wat Tritossathep in Bangkok to Ms Golf. The transfers were allegedly made by Phra Thepwachirapamok, 54, who quietly resigned from Wat Chan Samakkhi in Nong Khai and is believed to have fled to Laos.
A police raid on Ms Golf’s home in Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district on July 4 uncovered more than 80,000 explicit images and videos stored on five mobile phones, documenting her liaisons with monks.
Several temples across the country have since come under scrutiny, including two in Phichit province and one each in Phetchabun, Khon Kaen, and Samut Sakhon. Reports also suggest that some monks have gone missing from their temples since the scandal broke.
Police say no charges have yet been filed, as no official complaints have been made by affected parties. Current laws also lack clear provisions for prosecuting religious figures or laypeople involved in misconduct unless temple funds are proven to have been misused.
Calls for Legal Reform
In response to public outcry, the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) has renewed efforts to push forward a draft bill aimed at introducing tougher penalties for monastic misconduct and those who contribute to it.
NOB Director Ittiporn Chan-iam said the office will propose an amendment that includes jail terms of one to seven years and fines ranging from 20,000 to 140,000 baht for monks expelled for serious violations.
The same penalties would apply to laypeople who knowingly engage in sexual acts with monks or falsely support their spiritual claims.
The proposed bill would also target monks who deceive followers by making false claims of supernatural powers.
Mr. Ittiporn said the office will consult with Suchart Tancharoen, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of religious affairs, and form a committee to revise the bill, which would then require approval from the Sangha Supreme Council.
Former culture minister Nipit Intarasombat voiced support for the proposed legal changes, saying that existing monastic discipline is no longer sufficient to protect the sanctity of the religion.
“Without legal consequences, such misconduct will continue unchecked,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Clear laws must be put in place for both monks and laypeople. Those who cannot live up to the monastic code should disrobe voluntarily rather than tarnish the image of the faith.”
