July 16, 2025 — A 35-year-old girl, recognized as Wilawan Emsawat, also called “Ms Golf,” was arrested in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, for allegedly seducing and blackmailing a minimum of 9 Buddhist monks, extorting roughly 385 million baht ($11.9 million; £8.8 million) over three years. The scandal, involving over 80,000 specific photographs and movies, has rocked Thailand’s Buddhist group, the place monks are revered and anticipated to uphold strict celibacy beneath Theravada Buddhist precepts.
The case surfaced in June 2024 when an abbot from Wat Tri Thotsathep in Bangkok abruptly left the monkhood. Investigations revealed that Wilawan had initiated a romantic relationship with the abbot in Could 2024, later claiming she was pregnant and demanding 7.2 million baht ($222,000) in youngster assist. Police found she used related ways with different senior monks, leveraging intimate photographs, movies, and chat logs to extort cash, typically siphoned from temple financial institution accounts. One notable case concerned a 67-year-old former abbot of Wat Chujit Dhammaram in Ayutthaya, who transferred 380,000 baht from temple funds and 12.8 million baht from his private account, although he denied any intimacy.
A search of Wilawan’s dwelling uncovered over 80,000 specific information on her cell gadgets, which police say she used to stress monks into funds to hide their breaches of celibacy. Authorities report that a lot of the extorted funds had been spent on on-line playing, with solely 8,000 baht remaining in her accounts. Wilawan faces expenses of extortion, cash laundering, and receiving stolen items. She has not made an announcement since her arrest, and it stays unclear if she has authorized illustration. Previous to her arrest, she admitted to native media that she had a relationship with one monk and claimed to have given him cash.
The scandal has led to the disrobing of a minimum of 9 abbots and senior monks, prompting widespread public outcry in Thailand, the place over 90% of the inhabitants is Buddhist. The Sangha Supreme Council, the governing physique for Thai Buddhism, introduced plans to type a particular committee to overview monastic rules. Performing Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai ordered a overview of temple monetary transparency to revive public religion. King Vajiralongkorn revoked larger titles for 81 monks, citing current misconduct as inflicting “Buddhists to endure vastly of their minds.”
This incident follows different controversies, together with a Could 2025 arrest of a monk for embezzling $9 million from temple funds. The Central Investigation Bureau has launched a hotline to report misbehaving monks, with Deputy Commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew stating, “This girl is harmful, and we wanted to arrest her as quickly as attainable.” The continuing investigation could implicate extra monks as proof is reviewed.
For extra particulars, go to BBC News.