BANGKOK — Police in Thailand arrested a woman Tuesday who allegedly enticed a string of Buddhist monks into sexual relationships and then pressured them into making large payments to cover up their intimacy.
The possible violation of the celibacy rule for monks has rocked Buddhist institutions and gripped public attention in Thailand in recent weeks. At least nine abbots and senior monks involved in the scandal have been disrobed and cast out of the monkhood, the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau said.
Wilawan Emsawat, in her mid-30s, was arrested at her home in Nonthaburi province north of the capital Bangkok on charges including extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods. Police said they traced money transferred to her by a senior monk from a bank account belonging to his temple in northern Thailand.
Wilawan has not made a statement since her arrest and it was unclear if she has legal representation. Speaking to local media before her arrest, she acknowledged one relationship and said she had given money to that monk.
Scandalsinvolving monks surface a few times a year in Thailand but usually don't involve senior members of the clergy. The case also puts a spotlight on the large sums of money donated to temples controlled by abbots, which is in marked contrast to the abstemious lives they are supposed to lead under their religion's precepts.
Wilawan deliberately targeted senior monks for financial gain, police said, noting they found several monks had transferred large amounts of money after Wilawan initiated romantic relationships with them.
Wilawan's bank accounts received around 385 million baht ($11.9 million) in the past three years, but most of the funds were spent on online gambling websites, police said.
Jaroonkiat Pankaew, a Central Investigation Bureau deputy commissioner, said the investigation began last month after an abbot of a famous temple in Bangkok abruptly left the monkhood.
