MONK BUSINESS

Monk Busted Over Missing $3M as Shock Sex Tape Emerges

Police were forced last year to set up a hotline for reporting “misbehaving monks.”

#7

Police in Thailand have arrested a Buddhist monk accused of stealing $3 million from his monastery and breaking his vow of celibacy with a female associate, who has also been detained. Phra Wachirayan Wi, who previously worked as an abbot at Wat Phutthaisaan in Ayutthaya, allegedly amassed the amount over a period of two years by taking donations meant for the temple. During their investigation, police say they found a video of him having sex with a woman on a dining table. He has been defrocked and has yet to comment on the allegations. His female associate, Punyavee Rungrueang, has also not spoken publicly about her arrest. Thailand’s Buddhist monk community has been repeatedly rocked by cases of monks having sex and engaging in criminal activity like drug trafficking and financial fraud. Police were driven last year to set up a hotline so that people could report instances of monks “misbehaving” after a case saw at least nine monks blackmailed for almost $12 million by a woman who had secretly taped herself having sex with them.