Villagers in Northeast Thailand demand monk disrobe over woman
Police step in as late-night temple incident stirs outrage
Villagers in Kalasin in Northeast Thailand confronted an abbot after he was found with a woman inside his quarters at night, sparking demands for his immediate disrobing.
The disturbance broke out around 11pm yesterday, September 16, at a temple in Kae Pae subdistrict, Mueang district. A temple boy raised the alarm by beating a drum to alert the community after spotting an outsider entering the abbot’s quarters. Word spread quickly, and dozens of villagers gathered.
By 11.07pm, a Facebook livestream showed crowds calling for police intervention. Officers from Kalasin City Police Station soon arrived, entering the locked quarters where they discovered a 40 year old woman with the abbot. Outside, another man, believed to be the woman’s husband, watched the incident unfold.
Confronted by police and villagers, the abbot denied any wrongdoing. He insisted the woman had only come to deliver mushrooms and refused to disrobe, saying he would instead leave the temple the next day.
His explanation did little to quell the anger of the villagers, who accused him of inappropriate behaviour and claimed this was not the first time such suspicions had been raised. Several locals alleged the monk had been meeting women secretly for over three years.
Fearing he might repeat the behaviour if allowed to move to another temple, villagers demanded he be defrocked immediately. Their frustration was fuelled further when the story spread rapidly on social media, drawing widespread ridicule, reported Amarin TV.
A popular Facebook page run by Praiwan Wannabut amplified the controversy, sharing a post that read:
“A woman was found sneaking into a monk’s hut in Kalasin province late at night. The monk insisted she was only delivering mushrooms. Please don’t slander me. The monk emphasised that there was nothing more to the story than the mushroom offering.”
The incident has reignited debate about misconduct among monks in Thailand, with villagers stressing the need for greater accountability. Police confirmed they were gathering evidence but said that disciplinary action within the monkhood would fall under the authority of Buddhist clerical officials.
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