A 35-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly sleeping with Buddhist monks to scam them out of money.
In a case that shocked Thailand, becoming known as the ‘monk sex scandal’, nine senior monks and abbots have been disrobed as a result of sleeping with alleged scammer Wilawan Emsawat.
Also going by the alias of Sika Golf, Emsawat has allegedly seduced several monks, then blackmailing them to keep their affairs quiet. Monks in Thailand take a vow to abstain from all sexual activity, and breaking this results in them being disrobed or facing serious punishment.
Earlier this month, Emsawat was arrested in her home of Nonthaburi, just outside of Bangkok, after police linked her to illicit payments from several senior monks. She has been charged with extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods and is expected to stand trial later this year.
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Police Colonel Anek Taosuparp, deputy commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said Wirawan's modus was gaining the monks' trust to get close to them and then developing a relationship with them.
Emsawat would also film herself engaging in explicit acts with monks and high-profile politicians, with the police finding a staggering 80,000 pornographic files stored in five mobile phones.
Officials said the alleged scammer’s con proved fruitful, as she had allegedly managed to extort 385 million baht (£8.9 million) from temple coffers over the past three years. Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew, Deputy Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said in a press conference that Emsawat only had £1,000 left in her bank account when she was arrested.
“For cases involving senior monks for disciplinary violations such as temple fund embezzlement, those would fall under the responsibility of the Anti-Corruption Division,” he said.
“If it were other criminal offences relevant to women or other individuals, such as fraud or embezzlement, it would be the Crime Suppression Division's responsibility. However, as of now, there is no report of other charges.”
The clergy scandal came to light while police were investigating the disappearance of a respected monk named Phra Thep Wachirapamok, who has not been seen since he left the temple.
Authorities suspected he was involved in an illicit relationship before learning of his involvement with Emsawat, though no charges have been laid over his disappearance.
Wilawan allegedly claimed she'd fallen pregnant by him and demanded 7.8 million baht (£179,000).
As police go through the videos on Emsawat’s mobile phones, it is likely that more monks would be implicated in the scandal.
Acting secretary Chatchapol Chaiyaporn explained that ‘a new special committee’ is set to be formed to ‘safeguard Buddhism, review the Sangha Act and other related laws, and enhance public communication’.
“The proposal will be submitted to the Supreme Patriarch for approval,” Chaiyaporn said.
Ittiporn Chan-iam, director of the National Office of Buddhism, said the office was seeking jail convictions of up to seven years and a fine of up to 140,000 baht (£3,200) for monks expelled from the order over serious monastic violations. The same penalties would apply to laypeople who knowingly engage in sexual acts with monks.
Stefania Sarrubba