A woman arrested the claim of Thai Buddhist monks in sex, then blackmailing them

The police in Thailand arrested a woman on Tuesday, who was alleged to have flooded a series of Buddhist monks in sexual relations and then pressed her in paying large hidden payments on intimacy.

The potential violation of the celibacy base of the monks has shook Buddhist institutions and attracted the public’s attention in Thailand in recent weeks. The Central Investigation Office of the Royal Thai Police said that at least nine Abbott and the major monks participating in the scandal were removed from the tour.

Willwan Embaswat, in the mid -thirties, was arrested at her home in Nonghapore, north of the capital, Bangkok, on charges of blackmail, money laundering and receiving stolen goods. Police said that they followed the money that was transferred to it by a large monk from a bank account belonging to his temple in northern Thailand.

Wilawan has not made a statement since her arrest and it was not clear whether she had legal representation. She spoke to the local media before her arrest, admitted one relationship and said she gave money to this monk.

The scandals involved in monks include several times a year in Thailand, but usually do not include senior clerics. The case also sheds light on large sums of the donor’s money for Abbott temples, which significantly contradict the exciting life that they are supposed to lead under the principles of their religion.

Police said that Wilawan intentionally targeted the great monks to achieve financial gains, noting that they had found that many monks had transferred large sums of money after Willwan began romantic relationships with them.

Police said that the bank accounts in Wilwan had received about 385 million baht ($ 11.9 million) in the past three years, but most of the money has been spent on gambling sites online. The biggest bets were 500,000 baht each Bangkok Post mentionedQuoted from the police.

Jarinkiat Pankaew, Deputy Commissioner of the Central Investigation Office, said that the investigation began last month after a famous temple head in Bangkok suddenly left.

Investigators found that Abbott had been blackmailed by Willwan because of their romantic relationship. She told the monk that she was preganant and Asked him to Pay $ 222,000 in Financial Assistance, jaroonkiat said at a news conference in Bangkok Tuesday.

The police believed that “this woman was dangerous and we needed to arrest her as soon as possible.”

The Thai media reported its search for its mobile phones, which revealed tens of thousands of photos and videos, in addition to many chat records that indicate the intimate relationship with many monks, many of which can be used in blackmail.

Thai monks are largely members of the Ravada sect, which requires them to be celibate and refrain from touching a woman.

Government spokesman, Jerio Hongsoub, said on Tuesday that the Prime Minister Acting Fuhmham and Yuhayashi ordered the authorities to review and consider tightening the current laws related to monks and temples, especially the transparency of the temple, to restore faith in Buddhism.

Jarinkiat said the Central Investigation Office has created a Facebook page for people to report the monks who offend the behavior.

“We will achieve in the monks all over the country,” he said. “I think the effects of this investigation will lead to many changes.”

Buddhist monks in Thailand have been involved in scandals before.

In May, Thai police Monk On the allegations, more than $ 9 million was embezzled from the prominent temple that was running it was funded by the donations from the worshipers.

Last November, Thai police launched an investigation into the Buddhist monastery after the authorities Discover 41 bodies At the site that was allegedly used for meditation practices.

In 2022, every monk was in a Buddhist temple in the center of Thailand, then roasted I tested positive For metamphine. The monks were sent to a healthy clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation.

Agence France-Press contributed to this report.