A Thai woman has been arrested for seducing multiple senior Buddhist monks into sex and blackmailing them for huge amounts of money. The scandal shook Thailand’s monastic establishment and fueled controversy about the management of temple finances.
The alleged suspect, Wilawan Emsawat, who is said to be in her 30s, was arrested at her home in the Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok.
On Tuesday, Thailand’s Royal Police Central Investigation Bureau said. She has been charged with multiple offenses, including extortion, money laundering, and receiving stolen goods.
Police explained that Wilawan deliberately approached elder monks and started romantic relationships with them, causing many to send large sums of money to her. Deputy Commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew of the Central Investigation Bureau said the investigation started last month following the sudden ordination dropout of an abbot from a well-known Bangkok temple. The investigators found out that this monk reportedly fell prey to Wilawan’s blackmail game.
“She informed the monk that she was pregnant and requested him to provide 7.2 million baht ($222,000) in financial support,” Jaroonkiat disclosed at a press conference in Bangkok on Tuesday. Additional investigation identified money transferred by a senior monk at a northern Thai temple directly into Wilawan’s account.
Officially, authorities also revealed that Wilawan’s bank accounts had received some 385 million baht (about $11.9 million) in the last three years, much of which was allegedly on online gambling websites.
Prior to her arrest, Wilawan had spoken to local journalists, admitting she had been dating a monk and alleged she had given him money. Since being held in detention, she has not made any further statements.
Thai news sources said that searches of Wilawan’s cell phones uncovered tens of thousands of photos and videos, as well as dozens of chat logs showing intimate relationships with multiple monks, material officials say could be employed for blackmail.
“This woman is dangerous and we needed to arrest her as soon as possible,” Jaroonkiat said.
At least nine abbots and high-ranking monks have already been defrocked and tossed out of the monkhood for their participation, charged with violating the strict celibacy promises required by Thailand’s prevailing Theravada Buddhist school.
According to these regulations, monks are required to be celibate and keep away from any physical contact with women.
The developing scandal has also highlighted the significant donations temples accept, frequently held in the hands of abbots, that sharply contrast with the frugal, austere existence Buddhist monks are expected to live.
Acting in response to popular indignation, Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai ordered authorities to scrutinize laws relating to monks and temples in an effort to increase financial transparency. “We will look into monks throughout the country,” Jaroonkiat went on. “I think that the ripple effects of this probe will bring a lot of changes.”
As a measure to increase public participation, the Central Investigation Bureau has opened a Facebook page calling on citizens to report monks suspected of misconduct.
