Phetchabun monk quits amid sex row

Phetchabun monk quits amid sex row

A Phetchabun monk who admitted to having sex with a male discipline yesterday voluntarily left the monkhood following pressure from monastic authorities and his followers.

Kasem: Comes to new self-awareness

Kasem Duangpaengmak, formerly known as Phra Kasem Ajinasilo, left the monkhood at 1am yesterday, two days after admitting that he had had a sexual relationship over the past two years. However, he continues to stay at Sam Yaek forest monastery in Nam Nao district, wearing a white robe.

The decision to leave the monkhood came after the provincial monastic committee ordered an investigation into his conduct. He would be defrocked if found guilty in the probe and if he defied the order, he would face a criminal charge of imitating a monk. The monk told a group of his lay disciples and monks during an "internal inquiry" on Friday that he had sex with a 34-year-old follower in the monastery's compound over two years. He said he did not have self-awareness during the sexual activity, so it was not necessary for him to leave the monkhood.

The meeting was broadcast on the popular monastery's YouTube channel. This prompted the Phetchabun provincial Buddhism office to report the case to Phra Ratchapariyatbundit, chief of the provincial monastic committee, to initiate a probe.

According to a source, Mr Kasem told his disciples that he decided to leave the monkhood because he came to realise he had failed to observe the monastic code of conduct.

Mr Kasem planned to stay at the monastery and practise Buddhism, the source said.

The Supreme Court last year found him guilty of disrespecting Buddhism and handed down a two-year suspended jail term in connection with a YouTube clip in which he stepped on the base of a Buddha statue, slapped the statue's face and put a sign on the brass statue urging people not to worship it because it wasn't Lord Buddha.

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