Monk accused of dressing up as a woman to go out at night
A young monk in Northeastern Thailand has apparently been dressing up as a woman to go out at night. Photos of the monk dressed in his orange robes were posted along with photos of who appears to be the same person, but dressed up as a woman, were shared on Facebook. Complaints have been sent to the local Office of Buddhism. The man could be expelled from monkhood.
A Thai blogger posted the photos of the monk on Facebook. The man appears to have dressed up as a woman to go out for drinks and parties at night. The abbot of Wat Yodkaew in Nong Khai, which borders Laos, confirmed that the man is a monk at the temple, but did not know the monk was leaving the temple grounds at night dressed as a woman. The abbot says the temple is conducting an investigation to determine what actions to take.
After the photos were posted, complaints were sent to the Office of Buddhism calling on the monk to be stripped of his title.
Director of the Office of Buddhism in Nong Khai, says the monk’s actions can hurt the religious institution’s reputation. The Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand, the governing body of the country’s Buddhist order, has authorised the abbot of the temple is to investigate and to give the appropriate punishment.
