The week that was in Thailand News: Monks behaving badly – what a load of cobras

[rooster59]

The week that was in Thailand News: Monks behaving badly – what a load of cobras

It was certainly a bad week for some slithery, venomous and dangerous creatures – and though snakes were certainly in the news it is regrettable to report that this could also refer to many men in saffron robes who hit the headlines.

While the high rollers of the clergy continued to evade capture those further down the monastic food chain certainly gave them a run for their money with sex scandal, revenge, extortion and even animal cruelty all rearing their ugly heads.

The jet setting monk in the sunglasses smirked from his aircraft at DSI chiefs who are trying to get him extradited from Hawaii. He is wanted on sex charges and a host of other misdemeanors. It remains to be seen if a ‘holy man’ would be released into the arms of an unelected ‘military junta’ as the yanks might see it.

Meanwhile the head honcho at Wat Dhammakaya parked some excavators in front of his front doors to stop intruders. Authorities will need a task force of thousands to ensure his arrest to face a list of allegations of embezzlement as long as an uncoiled robe.

Through the week the monks of the Tiger Temple have watched as dozens of pitiful dead cubs and skins have been retrieved as the controversial Kanchanaburi wat was raided in connection with animal rights abuses. Yesterday brought fresh revelations - bottles containing dead cubs were purported to be energy drinks. Jeez - literally putting a Tiger in your Tank.

More mundane but no less scandalous were the petty orange clad criminals who seem to find shelter in sangha.

One was the monk that Thaivisa said was caught with his robes down in a Pathum Thani hotel. He had extorted sex from his ex-girlfriend by threatening to post compromising pictures of her online if she didn’t give in to his lusty ways. She contacted police who followed the couple and made the arrest.

Later in the week came the shocking story of a Loei ‘monk who got as drunk as a skunk’ who then tried to grab a little girl of four from her grandmother’s arms and take her back to the temple with him. A lynching mob dealt out some swift retribution before police arrived. He won’t get life in this life of course but hopefully if he comes back in the next life he will be a cockroach for some little girl to tread on.

Giving in to temporal rather than temple urges was an abbot of a “famous” though unnamed Rayong wat. No less than 100 villagers descended on his wat to give him an ultimatum to leave in 24 hours. They said they had CCTV footage of him bonking in the village and using merit making money to pay for it. Their repeated requests for action to local and provincial authorities had been fruitless.

Yes a bad week indeed but considering how many bad apples are let in through the temple doors I suppose it is hardly surprising that we are seeing such a rotten vat of cider.

Altogether kinder and setting a much better example were the monks in Krabi who managed to separate an injured King Cobra and a python who were fighting in the temple grounds and release them back to nature. While also in the southern province was the story of the lady home alone who had a cobra in her loo. Just about to do her business she had freaked out and called in the snake catchers.

Unfortunately they only succeeded in allowing the cobra to disappear down the U-bend. Not surprisingly the lady wanted to move out of her own home.

Yes, what with the monks’ behavior and these snaky scenarios it really was a load of old cobras this week.

Continuing the theme, one online poster used the Thai expression “ay thao hua ngu” (old snakehead) to refer unfavorably to a 70 year old retired cop. His crime? Well it was not a crime at all, as a lawyer later explained to a curious Thai public. The former policeman now retired had just married a 17 year old girl.

It was all legal as the parents (of the girl I might add) had given their permission. Fair enough, as any self-respecting Thai parents would doubtless have done given the large pile of cash and gold arranged in front of them.

The online lawyer even added the icing on the wedding cake for the smiling folks when he said that if the couple divorce the cop can’t get his dowry back. “Win win” as a local commented on a Thai news site.

Road accidents are never far from the news and this week came the story that the drunk student who mowed down three bicyclists in Chiang Mai last year was given a two year jail term. Ok, fair enough, so why was she pictured outside in a lovely dress talking gaily to reporters?

Bailed again. Appeal pending. Clearly the wheels of Thai justice move somewhat slower than the wheels of the drink drivers.

Sixteen children and their teacher were hurt when their school van ended up in a ditch and yet another kindergarten kid was caught on CCTV falling out of a speeding school minibus with the driver not even noticing he had lost a passenger.

One senior girl who actually made it to school in Nonthaburi fainted after complications from taking her mother’s weight loss pills and tragically died in Pak Kret Hospital. This lead to an online distributor of the pills being busted by food and drug administrators later in the week.

Conspiracy theorists crawled out of the Thaivisa woodwork when the interpreter in the Erawan bombing case was caught by police with amphetamines and ganja in Sukhumvit. He denied it and the lawyer for the bombing suspects made the case that he was needed in court so justice could be served.

No one else in Thailand seems to speak Uighur and English except this overstaying, passport-less, and (suspected…) drug taking Uzbek. But the theorists all ran to his aid screaming “fix!”

But what would the police have to gain by setting him up? Except more headaches, perhaps.

Finally, two transport developments caused much comment though mostly this came from those that believe Thailand never improves its public services who pooh-poohed the whole idea of the airport rail link joining up the two Bangkok airports and the ferry service joining up Pattaya and Hua Hin.

They just can’t see it ever happening (though planning permission for the Pattaya port has been approved…) and billions of baht has already been earmarked for the ferry.

Both could be a boon for travelers though the costs for the sea route – 1000 baht for a passenger and 3000 baht for a car – seemed a bit steep.

Mind you, they said years ago that the skytrain fares would prove to be too expensive when it first started and now you are lucky to even get a seat on the packed trains.

Unless you are a monk, of course.

-- 2016-06-04

[Smiley Face]

Not a pretty picture i would dare say. It appears these monks are acting like . . . like . . . well, like Thai! ! ! !

[rkidlad]

Nothing will take your money quicker than a religion (yes, all religions. Even the 'farang' ones)

[Smiley Face]

Nothing will take your money quicker than a religion (yes, all religions. Even the 'farang' ones)

I would argue that it is the "people" that are at fault, not the religion. But if we blame the religion then we don't have to take responsibility for our individual actions. Certainly, these people were good, law-abiding, trustworthy and caring people before they got mixed up in that "religion". RIGHT! And to prove my point, is everyone not mixed up in a religion ALL are standup citizens who only make the world a better place? Hallelujah!

[wvavin]

Every country in this world is striving to move forward except Thailand!

[dotpoom]

Not a pretty picture i would dare say. It appears these monks are acting like . . . like . . . well, like Thai! ! ! !

And those same Thai you refer to are acting like their counterparts all over the world.

[Jonathon]

I recall a little rhyme from my schooldays: "The vicar was a bug***..." Looks like it could be applied to the clergy here...

[English 1]

Thai people should consider breaking away from Buddhism but the won't

[Kiwiken]

Thai people should consider breaking away from Buddhism but the won't

Where would they go back to Animism , human sacrifice? As long as Religions are tied to the State the problem will be inherent . Buddhism is not alone in this. Religion must be seperate and non state sponsored. Only then can true faith exist. If the monks lived by the 5 precepts there would be no problem. But as has been pointed out Temples in Thailand are refuges for criminal and deviants . Lift that Sanctuary and you can clean up the faith.

[pkspeaker]

what with the #numbering on the email newsletter? 1. 2. 3. i think the bullet points were sufficient, improper format. im a format nazi so cut it out.

[sugarcane24]

Thai people should consider breaking away from Buddhism but the won't

Where would they go back to Animism , human sacrifice? As long as Religions are tied to the State the problem will be inherent . Buddhism is not alone in this. Religion must be seperate and non state sponsored. Only then can true faith exist. If the monks lived by the 5 precepts there would be no problem. But as has been pointed out Temples in Thailand are refuges for criminal and deviants . Lift that Sanctuary and you can clean up the faith.

I don't agree that if the sanctuary was lifted it would end the problem. Religions are in my opinion themselves a deeply-rooted problem in that their purpose appears to be the control and exploitation of populations. Just as institutionalised sex is a perversion of sex, so is institutionalised spirituality a perversion of spirituality.

[sugarcane24]

Thai people should consider breaking away from Buddhism but the won't

It's in my opinion not even real Buddhism, but rather a bizarre mix of animism, Hinduism and superstition, with a veneer of Buddhism added to peddle it as Buddhism. .

Edited June 5, 2016 by sugarcane24

[Kiwiken]

Thai people should consider breaking away from Buddhism but the won't

Where would they go back to Animism , human sacrifice? As long as Religions are tied to the State the problem will be inherent . Buddhism is not alone in this. Religion must be seperate and non state sponsored. Only then can true faith exist. If the monks lived by the 5 precepts there would be no problem. But as has been pointed out Temples in Thailand are refuges for criminal and deviants . Lift that Sanctuary and you can clean up the faith.

I don't agree that if the sanctuary was lifted it would end the problem. Religions are in my opinion themselves a deeply-rooted problem in that their purpose appears to be the control and exploitation of populations. Just as institutionalised sex is a perversion of sex, so is institutionalised spirituality a perversion of spirituality.

Even if you abolished the existing Religions People will just unvent new Ones. It is our inherrent need to believe in a Higher Power beyond man,s fickleness. Buddhism is not a Religion it is a philosophy twisted by those who try to make it a Religion. Disagree if you wish this is your right. I am Buddhist but I think like yourself have a ministry to make others question!

[Kiwiken]

Thai people should consider breaking away from Buddhism but the won't

Where would they go back to Animism , human sacrifice? As long as Religions are tied to the State the problem will be inherent . Buddhism is not alone in this. Religion must be seperate and non state sponsored. Only then can true faith exist. If the monks lived by the 5 precepts there would be no problem. But as has been pointed out Temples in Thailand are refuges for criminal and deviants . Lift that Sanctuary and you can clean up the faith.

I don't agree that if the sanctuary was lifted it would end the problem. Religions are in my opinion themselves a deeply-rooted problem in that their purpose appears to be the control and exploitation of populations. Just as institutionalised sex is a perversion of sex, so is institutionalised spirituality a perversion of spirituality.

Even if you abolished the existing Religions People will just unvent new Ones. It is our inherrent need to believe in a Higher Power beyond man,s fickleness. Buddhism is not a Religion it is a philosophy twisted by those who try to make it a Religion. Disagree if you wish this is your right. I am Buddhist but I think like yourself have a ministry to make others question!

[doggie1955]

Thai people should consider breaking away from Buddhism but the won't

First of all, Buddhism is not a Religion.

And this is what Religion is all about; https://www.facebook.com/AwarenessAct/videos/1321301857884348/?pnref=story

Edited June 10, 2016 by doggie1955

[Jake801]

Great read ?