Thai monk arrested for sexual abuse of 4 novices in Bueng Kan
High-ranking monk tries to buy silence by offering victims 300,000 baht
Police arrested a Thai monk in the Isaan province of Bueng Kan for sexually abusing four young novices and attempting to conceal the matter by offering the victims 300,000 baht.
The sexual assault at a temple in Bueng Kan came to light after Chalida “Ton Or” Palamart, the founder of the non-profit organisation Be One, shared details of the incident on her Facebook account. The families of the victims reached out to her, fearing that high-ranking monks would help the suspect escape legal punishment.
Following reports from the organisation and local news outlets, four young novices, aged between 13 and 16, suffered sexual assaults for over seven months.
The victims were forced to provide oral sex and engage in sexual activities with the monk. If they resisted, they would be beaten up. The monk also ordered them to find more friends to become novices at the temple.
Two temple novices contacted their families and returned home. Their families had to lie to the monk, claiming that some family members were sick and wanted the novices to visit.
The two novices detailed the abuse to their families, leading the parents to file a complaint against the monk at Mueang Bueng Kan Police Station. After officers began their investigation, the remaining novices were moved to another temple for safety.
While the investigation continued, high-ranking monks in the province contacted the victims’ families and asked them to drop the legal proceedings. These monks promised to take care of each victim, both physically and mentally, and offered 300,000 baht to the families as a settlement.
The victims’ families rejected the offer and brought the matter to the Be One organisation, together with a voice recording of the conversation as evidence.
Ton Or later posted an update stating that the accused monk secretly disrobed at 1am yesterday, October 23, and disappeared from the temple.
Following the update on Ton Or’s Facebook account yesterday, the suspect surrendered to the police later that day but denied all allegations. The outcome of the case has not yet been determined.
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