Chiang Mai monk faces charges for exam impersonation scandal
Prime Minister’s Office minister Chusak Sirinil has called for criminal charges against a senior monk from Chiang Mai. This monk allegedly employed another monk to impersonate him during a level-five Pali examination in Bangkok.
The Chiang Mai ecclesiastical office has since ordered the dismissal of the unnamed senior monk from his role as abbot of a prominent temple in the province. He has also been removed as head of the subdistrict clergy order in San Pa Tong district.
The impersonator was apprehended at the exam venue on February 24 to 25 at Sanam Luang in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district.
An official directive was issued by Phra Thepmangkalachan, abbot of Wat Thaton in Chiang Mai’s Mae Ai district and ecclesiastical provincial governor, on Sunday, March 2 to remove the monk from his positions.
By hiring someone else to take the exam, the monk committed a severe breach of Buddhist monastic discipline, thereby undermining the religion’s integrity.
Chusak has informed the director of the National Office of Buddhism about the issue, emphasising that it also constitutes a criminal offence. He urged the office to take prompt action.
The incident highlighted broader issues within regional monk examinations, which are often less rigorously monitored than those in Bangkok, making it easier for monks to hire substitutes.
An investigation is underway for the senior monk, who may face disciplinary measures, including possible defrocking, reported Bangkok Post.
Media reports suggest the monk is 35 years old and frequently seen wearing sunglasses in public. His stand-in also wore sunglasses during the exam but appeared significantly older.
In similar news, a temple abbot in Suphan Buri has been arrested following allegations of sexually assaulting a 13 year old and possessing indecent images.
Upon receiving the complaint on February 21, police swiftly collaborated with the monastic council to defrock the abbot. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at the temple in Dan Chang district.
The operation, led by senior officers including Police Colonel Peera Asawapiboonphon, culminated in the abbot’s arrest. He now faces legal charges related to the abuse and possession of illicit material.
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