7 monks receive suspended jail terms, 10,000 baht fines from Chiang Mai court

7 monks and 1 friend who were found enjoying food and alcoholic drinks Sunday night, 4 of whom were abbots, have been defrocked from the monkhood, fined, and given suspended jail sentences for breaking Covid containment measures. Police, who had received complaints from residents, raided a location for monks at Wat Pansao in Chiang Mai. Bangkok Post says the monks were enjoying a generous spread of food, such as roasted pork, which they paired with beer.

Following the monk bust and ruined dinner party, the 8 defendants were indicted in a Chiang Mai court. They face charges of violating the Disease Control Act and the Emergency Decree, which was put in place to combat the spread of Covid-19. Last night, the monks were booted from the order by the monastic chief of Chiang Mai, at Wat Upakhut. The 8 defendants went to court again this morning. They were given 15 days in jail, which was suspended for 1 year, and 10,00 baht fine. 4 of the monks were abbots from Wat Pansao, Wat Yang Kuang, Wat Hua Fai, and Wat Ban Ping.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post