A sex scandal of historic proportions has shaken Thailand's Buddhist establishment. Police have arrested Wilawan Emsawat, a woman in her mid-30s, on allegations that she ensnared Buddhist monks in romantic relationships and extorted them for cash. She recorded erotic videos and threatened to release them to extract millions. At least nine high-ranking monks, including abbots, have been defrocked so far. The scandal has sparked national outrage and revealed entrenched hypocrisy in Thailand's monastic system.
Police arrested Wilawan Emsawat, nicknamed "Ms. Golf," from her high-end apartment in Nonthaburi, outside Bangkok. She stands accused of several charges—extortion, money laundering, and receiving stolen property. Police say she had sex with at least nine Buddhist monks. She contacted the monks over social media and then seduced them, they claim. A monk even had a long-term affair with her and received a car from her. When he found out that she was dating another monk, she started blackmailing him.
Police discovered over 80,000 obscene images and videos in Wilawan's collection. The files are said to feature her engaging in sex with multiple monks. She leveraged the content to blackmail over 385 million baht, which is around Rs 102 crore, over a three-year period. The money was said to be channeled towards unlawful online betting. According to the BBC, the case came to light when a famous abbot in Bangkok went missing after being blackmailed. Police later established that he had abandoned the monkhood.
At least nine monks have been defrocked, and two have gone underground, according to reports. The seniority of the implicated monks has heightened public anxiety. The Thai Senate is now debating a contentious legal amendment proposing criminal prosecution of women who sleep with monks. Opponents say it unfairly places blame on women and perpetuates sexist attitudes inherent in Buddhist practices.
Bangkok Post columnist Sanitsuda Ekachai criticized the moral decay that has been unveiled by the scandal. She pointed to the double standards among the clergy in which the monks are cast as victims and women as corrupting influences. She also criticized the prohibition of Bhikkhuni (female monk) ordination for all those years and the presentation of women as spiritual menaces.
Thailand alone, with more than 90% of its population practicing Buddhism, has well over 200,000 monks and 85,000 novices active at any one time. Sex and money scandals within the Sangha are not new, but the extent and seniority this time around are appalling. The revelations have shaken public confidence and prompted a serious reappraisal of religious accountability.
