Thai monk allegedly rapes woman, demands she divorces husband

A Thai man sought help from the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after a monk demanded he end his relationship with his wife so he could have her. The monk had previously raped the woman making her pregnant.

The 36 year old Thai man, Warut, revealed in the press conference yesterday, March 31, that he married his wife, 31 year old Wannapa, ten years ago, but only recently learned about the rape on February 25.

Warut explained that Wannapa usually visited a temple in the Isaan province of Yasothon to make merit and participate in Dhamma retreats. She often stayed at the temple for a few days, typically less than a week.

On February 25, a monk, identified as Sanan, came to his home. He used a microphone speaker to call out Wannapa’s name and requested a conversation with Warut. Warut refused and asked the monk to leave.

Warut then confronted his wife about Sanan’s unusual behaviour. Wannapa eventually revealed that she was seven months pregnant with the monk’s child.

Wannapa claimed that Sanan raped her at the temple in Yasothon but she did not dare to tell Warut and did not file a complaint with police because Sanan threatened to share explicit videos of her on social media.

Leave monkhood

According to Warut, the monk demanded that he terminate his relationship with Wannapa and surrender her, along with their baby, to him. Despite Warut agreeing to divorce Wannapa, she insisted on remaining with him and showed no inclination for Sanan to be the child’s father. Warut further stated that Sanan subsequently renounced his monkhood and declared on his Facebook account his determination to establish a family with Wannapa and her child.

Warut and Wannapa filed a complaint with Sai Mun Police Station on March 25 but the Sanan’s threats persisted. Warut said that he wanted to divorce her but was worried about his safety. So, he reached out to Saimai Survive for help.

Wannapa revealed to Channel 7 today, April 1, that Sanan raped her in February of the previous year. She visited Sanan at the temple in Yasothon to make a food offering. The monk approached and raped her on that day. She cried for help but no one came to her aid.

Wannapa stated that Sanan used an explicit video of her to coerce her into having sex with him again, causing her emotional distress. She attempted to cut off contact with Sanan by informing him of her marital status but the monk persisted and said nothing could stop him.

Wannapa added that she was convinced the monk was the father of her baby because she and Warut had not had sex for about a year.

Channel 7 reported that officers from Sai Mun Police Station issued a summons for Sanan, for questioning on April 8.