Another monk scandal in Thailand! Police in the Nong Yai district of Chon Buri have busted a local monk with 6 methamphetamine pills, as well as a bag of crystal methamphetamine or ‘ice’. The police found the drugs in a temple raid earlier this week after locals alerted them about a monk who they were concerned was taking illegal drugs.
The Pattaya News reports that the monk, 57 year old Choochart Somsakunmontree, claimed the drugs helped him meditate and reach a higher state of mind, even though they are banned by Buddhist regulations. He admitted to police that he had bought the drugs for himself, but denied selling them or causing problems for others.
The temple’s abbot defrocked Choochart and ordered him to leave the Buddhist monkhood before the police took him to Nong Yai Police Station for further legal action. Police are also investigating to find who Choochart bought the drugs from.
Reports of monks taking drugs, carrying methamphetamine, drinking, drunk driving, money laundering, stealing, sniffing women’s undergarments, committing murder and rendezvousing with women are common headlines in the kingdom. Earlier this month, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha called out Thai monks about “rule breaking” following several scandals.
Last week, two novice monks in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai received some rather unholy offerings in their alms bowls, according to another monk at their temple. The monk posted on Facebook last week saying that the novices found condoms in their alms bowls. The monk believed someone might have snuck the condoms in the bowls because there are many negative stories about monks in the news right now.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News