Thai monk seen hugging foreign woman at Chiang Rai bus terminal
Police are searching for a Thai monk accused of hugging a foreign woman, believed to be a French national, at a bus terminal in the northern province of Chiang Rai.
The Thai TikTok user @gina.warinthorn shared the video of the monk and the foreigner on Wednesday, March 19, along with a caption that read…
“The story is, I was travelling from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai, and my bus stopped at Mae Kha Jarn Bus Terminal in Chiang Rai for passengers to rest. Unexpectedly, I saw a young monk and a French woman sitting and hugging on the bench until a terminal worker intervened in their actions. No guilt? This is a public place, the bus terminal!”
The TikToker later commented that the day of the incident was cold, and the monk shared his robe with the foreign woman. However, the act violated Buddhist monastic rules.
In the video, the monk and the foreign woman had already separated, and the woman attempted to return part of the robe to the monk, who insisted that she keep it. She refused to do so. At one point, the monk was seen grabbing a long-sleeved shirt that the foreign woman draped over her shoulders, but she took it back and smiled awkwardly at him.
Most Thai netizens agreed that the foreign woman might not have been aware of Buddhist monastic rules and local traditions, but they asserted that the monk should have known better. Some speculated that the monk might have been drunk, while others accused him of being a fake monk.
The police have not yet confirmed whether the monk in the video is genuine or an imposter. The abbot of a nearby temple, along with officers from Mae Chedi Police Station, visited the bus terminal on March 20 to investigate.
Locals told the police that they had often seen the monk appearing to be under the influence of alcohol but this was the first time they witnessed him breaking the rules by touching a woman.
Police found the monk’s belongings left on the same bench where the incident occurred, including his alms bowl, a pillow, food offerings, a bag, and his robes.
Vendors and workers at the bus terminal reported that the monk arrived at the terminal on a pickup truck belonging to a local. He subsequently left the scene on a bus bound for Chiang Mai on the same day.
The abbot expressed his opinion that the monk should leave the monastic order due to his misconduct, as the incident has tarnished the reputation of other monks and caused people to lose faith in Thai monastic practices.
@gina.warinthorn คือ เรื่องมีอยู่ว่า กำลังนั่งกรีนบัสกลับเชียงใหม่ แวะพักที่ แม่ขะจาน มี หลวงพี่กับสีกาแหม่มสาวชาวฝรั่งเศส กำลังนั่งโอบกอดท้าสายลม แล้วก้อมีพี่เจ้าหน้าที่มาห้ามไว้ ไม่มีการละอายเลย กลางสถานีขนส่งแม่ขะจาน!!! #tiktok #พระสงฆ์ #หลวงพี่ #อาบัติ #โหนกระแส #โหนกระแสวันนี้ #บาป #ผิดศีลข้อ3 #พระปลอม #อย่าปิดการมองเห็น
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