Thai woman accuses Mukdahan monk of abortion pressure
A Thai woman accused a monk in Mukdahan province, with whom she has a relationship, of being unfaithful and pressuring her to have an abortion.
The woman posted on Facebook in recent days to express her anger against the monk. She shared photos showing them holding hands and kissing on the forehead, and also included an ultrasound image taken at a hospital during her pregnancy.
In the post, she said the monk had left a “stigma” on her life and claimed her situation worsened despite the monk knowing she had faced difficulties.
After the post circulated widely, social media users tried to identify the monk. Based on tattoos on the monk’s hands shown in the images, some locals in Mukdahan believed the accused was a 39 year old monk named Anupon at a temple in Khamcha-i district.
After her post gained traction on social media, the accuser later deleted her post as well as her Facebook account. She also refused any interviews with Thai media.
Several Thai news outlets visited the temple identified by online users and spoke with Anupon. The monk denied the allegations and said he had not been in a relationship with women since entering the monkhood. He said he was shocked when he saw the images online, adding that the monk shown looked similar to him.
He insisted he was not the person in the post and said he planned to go to Khamcha-i Police Station to file a complaint against the woman for damaging his reputation.
However, the Facebook page Jmoi V+ later reported that Anupon left the monkhood after speaking with the media, prompting renewed speculation about whether he was the monk in the images.
No further public interviews were given by Anupon, and the temple and the provincial Buddhism office also did not provide further comment, according to the report.
The case follows another incident that drew criticism online, after five Thai monks were filmed riding a car-shaped banana boat on a reservoir in Bueng Kan province. The boat operator said the monks had visited the province to see a religious site and took the boat ride to view the scenery rather than for enjoyment.
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