Drunk driving monk: Altercation causes 8,000 baht damage to Thai teacher’s car
A video of a drunk-driving Buddhist monk in an inebriated state, engaging in a traffic altercation, has gone viral online. The monk, driving a sedan, collided with another vehicle after crossing into the wrong lane.
The incident escalated into a verbal dispute with the other party involved. The police were called, and an alcohol test revealed that the monk’s alcohol level was a staggering 199 milligrams percent. The incident occurred on Monday, October 23.
The video was recorded by a 27 year old teacher Anuwat (surname withheld). Anuwat was driving home with his grandmother after dinner when a sedan crossed into his lane and hit his vehicle. He was surprised to find that the driver was a Buddhist monk who appeared to be intoxicated.
On confronting the drunk-driving monk, Anuwat found him uncooperative and evasive. The monk even attempted to flee the scene, prompting Anuwat to remove his car keys and wait for the police to arrive.
When the police arrived, they took the monk and his vehicle to the station. Anuwat reported that the damage to his vehicle, an Isuzu D-Max, was estimated at 8,000 baht.
The 61 year old monk, identified as Sompron, admitted to being the person in the video but denied causing the accident. He claimed that he was returning from a funeral when Anuwat’s car blocked his way and honked at him. Regarding the alcohol consumption, he did not deny it but left everything to the police investigation.
Sompron added that while he is willing to take responsibility if he is at fault, he insists that he did not damage Anuwat’s vehicle. He showed a video to the reporters, claiming that Anuwat’s car showed no signs of damage. He also stated that he is ready to cooperate with the police in this matter, reported KhaoSod.
The police have initially charged Monk Sompron with drunk driving, while the matter of damages has been left for both parties to settle.
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