Report British Tourists Expose Monk for Inappropriate Behaviour in Chiang Mai

[snoop1130]

Photo via ThaiRath

 

In a striking incident that has captured public attention, two British tourists have shed light on an unsettling encounter with a monk at a temple in Chiang Mai. This episode, which took place on 30 March, resulted in the monk being expelled from the temple premises.

 

The tourists, Joe and his friend, who is of mixed Thai-British heritage, were visiting a temple in the San Pa Tong district when they were approached by a monk identified as 76-year-old Tuan. Although Joe's friend appeared to be of Thai descent, she could not understand the Thai language. Still, both opted to express politeness by nodding along to Tuan’s words as he spoke to them.

 

What began as a seemingly benign interaction took a turn when Tuan, described as being quite talkative, touched the face of Joe’s friend. The situation became more unsettling when Tuan showed them a photograph on his phone, suggesting the woman resembled someone in the image. The tourists, disagreeing with the comparison, chose to remain silent at this point.

 

The encounter escalated when Tuan sniffed the woman’s arm and nearly kissed her, leaving both tourists feeling shocked and uneasy. Tuan then invited them to his private quarters, where the discomfort intensified. Inside, Tuan asked them to sit on his bed and proceeded to kiss their cheeks in a manner reminiscent of social kissing, which is deemed highly inappropriate for a Buddhist monk given their vows and traditional code of conduct.

 

The two tourists, recognising the inappropriateness of the monk’s behaviour, documented their unsettling experience with photographs. They shared these images with Thanawat, a local Thai acquaintance, who then conveyed the story to a journalist at ThaiRath, a well-regarded news outlet.

 

Upon investigation, ThaiRath discovered that Tuan was not officially ordained at the temple. Instead, he had been staying there temporarily, allegedly for health reasons due to proximity to a nearby hospital. He had lived alone in a small hut separate from other monks for over a year, though the exact nature of his health issues was not disclosed.

 

During an interview with ThaiRath, Tuan initially denied any wrongdoing, accusing the tourists of manipulating the photographs to tarnish his reputation. However, under further scrutiny, Tuan conceded his actions but retaliated with offensive language aimed at his accusers, revealing a volatile response contrary to expected monastic behaviour.

 

The incident provoked considerable attention and was promptly addressed by the temple’s abbot, who instructed Tuan to leave by 23 May. The monk's current whereabouts remain unreported, but his removal highlights the temple's commitment to upholding ethical standards within the religious community.

 

The situation has sparked discussions about oversight within religious institutions and the importance of safeguarding the revered status of monks against actions that could undermine their esteemed position in society.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-26

 

 

[worgeordie]

7 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Tuan then invited them to his private quarters, where the discomfort intensified.

and they went , 

 

regards worgeordie

[Quentin Zen]

18 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

accusing the tourists of manipulating the photographs

well, we have technology for that.   I thought this was defamation and libel?  Even if he did do this, aren't they hurting his reputation?  No, I don't mean reporting him to the police, but going to a journalist instead.    anyhow.....this monk needs to go.

 

Some monks, teachers, elderly, etc.... have a really strange control over others.   I don't blame them for going there because it was two people and clearly nothing horrible was going to happen (odds were low enough - dude is 76, at a temple, etc...).    

21 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Tuan conceded his actions but retaliated with offensive language aimed at his accusers

Hold on, this doesn't seem very monk-like.   

 

10 years of living here, and only once did a monk come up to me and ask if I could buy him a bottle of water.  very strange.  I had to make a judgment.  I talked to him in Thai; he seemed Thai, seemed to be a monk, and it was super hot.  I spent the 15 baht and he gave me a wai and said good luck in Thai.  Both strange.  I have no idea what happened.  Whatever, my day went on......  He was old, smelled bad, seemed like he needed the water.   

[Captain Flack]

Off topic post removed.

[Jim Blue]

Seems they had a lucky escape ????

[PJ71]

1 hour ago, Jim Blue said:

Seems they had a lucky escape ????

Being a 76 year old man i doubt the two of them would have had any issues overcoming the monk and 'escaping'.

[proton]

Misleading, he was NOT a monk at all

[factual monk]

We did whatever the monk was saying or doing... we are obedient kids... 

We are told not to disengage from an uneasy situation but continue to engage till it gets highly inappropriate 

[SAFETY FIRST]

9 minutes ago, factual monk said:

We did whatever the monk was saying or doing... we are obedient kids... 

We are told not to disengage from an uneasy situation but continue to engage till it gets highly inappropriate 

Wow, @factual monk 👍

 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

monk identified as 76-year-old Tuan

Did you know Tuan? 

 

I read somewhere, all you Monks know each other 

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

What began as a seemingly benign interaction took a turn when Tuan, described as being quite talkative, touched the face of Joe’s friend. The situation became more unsettling when Tuan showed them a photograph on his phone, suggesting the woman resembled someone in the image. The tourists, disagreeing with the comparison, chose to remain silent at this point.

 

The encounter escalated when Tuan sniffed the woman’s arm and nearly kissed her, leaving both tourists feeling shocked and uneasy. Tuan then invited them to his private quarters, where the discomfort intensified. Inside, Tuan asked them to sit on his bed and proceeded to kiss their cheeks in a manner reminiscent of social kissing, which is deemed highly inappropriate for a Buddhist monk given their vows and traditional code of conduct.

Should have walked away at the first sign of bad behaviour... 

as for going to his room... madness

[Aussie999]

So, not a monk

[GoodieAfterDark]

16 hours ago, worgeordie said:

and they went , 

 

regards worgeordie

They would be blessed with a "Tuan". So they went...

[Gottfrid]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

What began as a seemingly benign interaction took a turn when Tuan, described as being quite talkative, touched the face of Joe’s friend. The situation became more unsettling when Tuan showed them a photograph on his phone, suggesting the woman resembled someone in the image. The tourists, disagreeing with the comparison, chose to remain silent at this point.

 

The encounter escalated when Tuan sniffed the woman’s arm and nearly kissed her, leaving both tourists feeling shocked and uneasy. Tuan then invited them to his private quarters, where the discomfort intensified.

So, they were dumb enough to follow him inside his living quarters after feeling discomfort. Lucky they did, in a way, as one will be removed.

[psepsych]

Sounds like disinhibition in an old chap with a degree of dementia. 

[Kinok Farang]

Nasty habit.

[chuang]

17 hours ago, worgeordie said:

and they went , 

 

regards worgeordie

They were shocked and uneasy and yet they went to his room,..555

[NickyLouie]

Is this a new thing ? along with a bamboo tattoo while a tourist in TH ?

 

Get felt up and kissed by a pruney old Monk ????

[Chris747]

If it was a catholic priest touching his GF's face? Invited them to his sacristy? But he's a buddhist monk, he wears a traditional robe and the temple we are in looks so authentic, so let's do it for the experience this will be quite a story to tell at home 🤨

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[impulse]

I wonder if they understand how many "monks" are criminals doing penance in order to stay out of jail?

 

 

[neeray]

Perhaps a bit "kinky".

[connda]

He probably isn't a monk. 

[Seagull Sam]

There are strict rules relating to conduct within a temple, regardless of the precise nature of those living there temporarily or permanently. These were clearly violated. 

I can't work out why so many contributors to this forum appear to have so little understanding of the most basic Therevada Buddhist rules and teachings when Buddhism is a bedrock of Thai culture.

[arick]

Soon as the monks gets close to a woman or tries to touch a woman that's a sign right there. ( No go). I've had two boyfriends that are both gone to become monks for a short period of time I've gone back to the room but out of decency and respect of myself I never tried to touch them or even give them a kiss goodbye as long as  they had the robe on.  Equally at fault are the two visitors for putting themselves in that situation. And at that age the poor guy could have had dementia.

I just spent 15 minutes speaking to our village monk but is regarding his two new cars that they donated to him and he was saying how much better it is to have a car with air conditioning than driving around on a motorbike for more money. 

[connda]

Fyi.  I find the way this is written to be strange.

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The tourists, Joe and his friend, who is of mixed Thai-British heritage

"Joe and his friend"???
Why not Joe and Jill, or Joe and his girlfriend, or Joe and the women he was traveling with Make me wonder if Joe has a wife or if Joe was traveling with a ladyboy or tranny.  Just saying.  Really odd wording.

If the OP had stated that Joe's friend was a women the inappropriateness of the monk's behavior becomes readily apparent.  Monks Can Not Touch Women.  Period.  End of story.

He probably isn't a monk. There are all sorts of shady characters out there who pretend to be monks.  Especially tudong monks (traveling/walking).  Non-Buddhists probably wouldn't immediately figure it out.  Buddhists who understand the Vinaya (monks rules/precepts) would know immediately.  The immediate tell that someone dressed as a monk but isn't a monk is they will directly ask for money.  Or touch women. Or drink. Eat meals after 12 o'clock noon. Or use foul language, get angry, and flip you off if you call them out (been there, done that). Or they'll directly ask for food or ask for other material things of value.  They are not monks, they are pretending to be monks and they are usually collecting money or other valuables and they tend to target tourist rich cities as most tourists don't have a clue as to what is and isn't appropriate behavior for monks.  

Best thing to do if you come across a monk who you believe is acting inappropriately is to take a picture then report it to the tourist police.  Police don't take kindly to fake monks as they are often in Thailand illegally or they are just making a bad name for the Thai Buddhist religion and the Sangha.

Both my wife and I take this serious.  She has had local two monks who used to be at our village temple, including an abbot, kicked out of the monkhood for inappropriate behavior, like using yaba and using temple funds to fund a romance scam.  So there is enough problems within the Thai monkhood that needs to be addressed, but the fake monks really need to be reported to authorities and taken off the street.  And doubly so if the monk is an actual ordained monk at a Thai Buddhist temple and is not practicing the precepts that are the core virtues of being a monk or who are just doing illegal activities.

[connda]

2 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

So, not a monk

Nope - not a monk.

[connda]

18 hours ago, Quentin Zen said:

dude is 76, at a temple

I don't know why you find that strange.  Monks get old.  Ageing?  It's sort of universal.  You think there is an age limit for monks?  There isn't.  Elderly monks are often the abbots at temples, but not all of the time.  Some Thai men will ordain as retirement.  Our current head of our village temple is a retired construction worker.  I'd put him in his mid-60s.  He's done just an amazing job renovating our temple which the previous abbot had let slide.  Two years ago it was a pit.  Now it's quite beautiful and park-like.
He is just reaching the level within the Sangha where he can officially become the temple's abbot which will happen around the beginning of this year's rain retreats.  So regarding monks in their 70s.  You'll find them in their 80s and 90s too.  These monk die while ordained as monks. 

[connda]

18 hours ago, Quentin Zen said:

10 years of living here, and only once did a monk come up to me and ask if I could buy him a bottle of water.  very strange.  I had to make a judgment.  I talked to him in Thai; he seemed Thai, seemed to be a monk, and it was super hot.  I spent the 15 baht and he gave me a wai and said good luck in Thai.  Both strange.  I have no idea what happened.  Whatever, my day went on......  He was old, smelled bad, seemed like he needed the water.   

And guaranteed - he wasn't a monk.

[Jack Hammer]

3 hours ago, psepsych said:

Sounds like disinhibition in an old chap with a degree of dementia. 

And a hard on 

[Jack Hammer]

2 hours ago, Chris747 said:

If it was a catholic priest touching his GF's face? Invited them to his sacristy? But he's a buddhist monk, he wears a traditional robe and the temple we are in looks so authentic, so let's do it for the experience this will be quite a story to tell at home 🤨

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you mean instead of choir boys?

[plahgat]

Not that uncommon that Thai criminals shave their heads and put on a robe and hide in temples! 😏