Drug-Taking Monks found at Sattahip Temple

[Rimmer]

Drug-Taking Monks found at Sattahip Temple

SATTAHIP:--Members of the public complained to the Sattahip District Authorities over concerns that Monks at the Sattahip Temple were using illegal drugs which was causing them to act in a way not considered as appropriate for Buddhist Monks.

After seeking permission from the Chief Abbot, a team of officials armed with drug testing kits conducted a check on 15 monks on Friday and found that 5 of them had recently consumed methamphetamine.

The Monks aged 25 to 35 were sent to the Chief Abbot and were removed from the monkhood
Full story:http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/94308/drug-taking-monks-sattahip-temple/

-- Pattaya One 2013-07-06

[rucus7]

It is always useful to know how the donations to the Wat Thai are being used. Since monks live in austere poverty, are we to assume community donations pay for drug use? Or perhaps the drugs themselves are donated by drug dealers to make merit.

[hotrod4098]

any chargers made...ie ..in your body its possesion

[mamypoko]

It seems no one is exempt from this criminal health problem. Surely the rich and the poor don't partake.

Law-breaking monks; what is the world coming to?

I’m sure we’re all very surprised.

Tissue, please

Edited July 7, 2013 by Scott
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[Andre0720]

Hey,

Surely nothing but spirituality enhancers they are taking.

[misterphil]

Were they wearing Ray Bans?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Not sure whether it's the same wat or not.. but I pretty clearly recall past news stories re some groups of monks from the Pattaya area getting caught out in the local "forest" doing drugs and partaking of paid female companionship.

With all of these kinds of sordid news reports over a period of time, you really have to wonder if the whole enterprise hasn't gone astray.

[pacovl46]

any chargers made...ie ..in your body its possesion

It's not. Just because it's in your system doesn't mean you ever had the drug in your possession. It merely means you consumed it, big difference.

[pacovl46]

Seems like they took a shortcut attempting to reach "Nirvana"! ;-)

[Chris Lawrence]

They are human......and have been expelled by the Chief Abbot.

Nothing on the millonaire monk. I suppose he can not be expelled as he has all the money?

[Emdog]

"Just because it's in your system doesn't mean you ever had the drug in your possession. It merely means you consumed it, big difference." Say what? Only excuse for having it in your system without having possessed it is if someone slipped it into your food or drink. That opinion makes as much sense as saying just because I am drunk doesn't prove I ever had a drink in my hand....

[khaowong1]

Had a monk at our temple who commited suicide about 3 years ago.. He was hooked on yabaa, stole money from his friends, family, the abbot, to buy his drugs. No one knew about it, well, I didn't know about it, I just thought he was kind of strange. Rather than look for some help, hung himself.. He left us a note explaining why he did.. Very sad case..

[bangon04]

Maybe if the press feels it is now open season on the behaviour of those entrusted with moral superiority in Thailand, it will have a long term positive effect.

[newermonkey]

Were they wearing Ray Bans?

no, but they were probably flying high.

[Buckaroo]

Not sure whether it's the same wat or not.. but I pretty clearly recall past news stories re some groups of monks from the Pattaya area getting caught out in the local "forest" doing drugs and partaking of paid female companionship.

With all of these kinds of sordid news reports over a period of time, you really have to wonder if the whole enterprise hasn't gone astray.

Nah, the enterprise is right on course and doing rather well thank you very much; drugs, Raybans, private jets, being paid to advertise aircon units that have the same wood facia effect as the controls of donated Rolls Royces, paid for female companionship, and the only thing my parents warned me about was rock N roll

[sawadeeken]

OK, Come-on now. There are a few more Monks in the news. But don't attach a label to them that they are 'typical'. Just like many things in life, there are a few rotten-eggs. Cull out the rotten ones but leave the rest alone for they still have a considerable value.

[tetleythedog]

Were they wearing Ray Bans?

Jets and drugs........................obviously some confusion when someone said "high" !!!

[mikebell]

Maybe if the press feels it is now open season on the behaviour of those entrusted with moral superiority in Thailand, it will have a long term positive effect.

Next up - the police.

[pacovl46]

"Just because it's in your system doesn't mean you ever had the drug in your possession. It merely means you consumed it, big difference." Say what? Only excuse for having it in your system without having possessed it is if someone slipped it into your food or drink. That opinion makes as much sense as saying just because I am drunk doesn't prove I ever had a drink in my hand....

Let me give you an example: If there's a group of people who smoke a joint together then only the guy who brought the cannabis there is/was in possession of it. All the others merely consumed it. The difference is that, if it's legal in your country to consume the drug they can't charge you with smoking it, but they can definitely charge the guy for possession who brought it.

"...just because I am drunk doesn't prove I ever had a drink in my hand."

Really? You're completely missing the point! It's not about wether you had the drink in your hand, it's about wether or not you owned the drink you consumed. Once again, if there's a group, one brings a bottle and shares it with the others they were never in possession of it. They merely consumed it and wether or not you want to believe it doesn't matter because there is a legal difference.

Just to elaborate it a bit more for the sake of the argument. Let's say you're from Holland, or one of the 2 states in the US where it's legal now to grow, sell and smoke cannabis products and you have a joint there, legally. So then the next day you fly to Singapore where you find yourself subject to a random drug test and they find the THC in your system. It's illegal in Singapore to have any kind of drug in your system other than prescription drugs. The result will be that you either go to jail or you'll be heavily fined for something you haven't even done on their soil, whereas in countries where the consumption is legal you'd be free to go. They might search you, but if you've got nothing on you, you're on your way.