Thai monk arrested for drinking alcohol and approaching nuns

Thai police arrested a Thai monk last night and forced him to quit the monkhood after he was caught drinking alcohol and trying to enter the rooms of two nuns at a temple in the Isaan province of Buriram.

Two nuns at the unidentified temple in Buriram sought help from Satuek Police Station in the middle of the night after the 35 year old monk, Prakid Cherdsakun, attempted to break into their rooms.

The nuns added that Prakid could not get their rooms, so he vented his anger by randomly firing slingshots at their accommodations.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered Prakid in an intoxicated state. He admitted to drinking alcohol but denied trying to enter the nuns’ rooms. He said he fired slingshots at their rooms due to the nuns leaving lights on all night, wasting electricity.

One of the nuns, identified only as A, revealed that Prakid drank alcohol daily but never caused any trouble before. A said she could not forgive him for his behaviour and wanted him to leave the temple.

Another nun, B, revealed that Prakid came to the temple three months ago after being expelled from his previous temple. B said Prakid always set himself up as a leader and ordered the nuns to work for him like servants.

Alcohol epilepsy treatment

B expressed to Prakid that his alcohol habit troubled her the most. She recounted instances where Prakid’s mother would offer him alcohol daily and would even partake in drinking with her son at the temple.

B implored Prakid’s mother to cease this practice, citing its violation of the Buddhist monks’ regulations. However, Prakid’s mother defended her actions, claiming that the alcohol served as a remedy for Prakid’s epilepsy symptoms.

Despite these assertions, B observed that the alcohol exacerbates Prakid’s condition rather than alleviating it. Consequently, the police intervened, instructing Prakid to renounce his monkhood immediately, even in his inebriated state. Prakid was escorted to the police station, although no specific charges were announced.

Prakid’s 53 year old mother, Somjai, denied providing her son with alcohol, claiming that another monk at the temple influenced him to drink and that her son was unable to refuse.

She expressed her determination to find another temple for Prakid and encouraged him to re-enter monkhood, convinced that this was his sole chance for survival. The mother asserted that only by becoming a monk could Prakid manage his epilepsy symptoms. Otherwise, she feared he would die.