The abbot of Bangkok's Wat Talom knows that the growing number of foreign monks staying there is causing disquiet in the local community, following complaints of overcrowding, soliciting cash and "improper" behaviour. Phra Maha Somnuek Chutintaro says the number of foreign monks at the temple in Phasicharoen district now totals 316, with the majority from Myanmar (160) followed by Bangladesh (60) and Cambodia (50) and the remainder from India, Vietnam and Laos.
''They are attracted by word of mouth,'' Phra Maha Somnuek said. He pointed out that many temples do not want to be responsible for foreign monks. For example, nearby Wat Liab has received only 10 of them. ''So they recommend them to Wat Talom,'' Phra Maha Somnuek said.
Phra Promdilok, who as Bangkok head of the Sangha Supreme Council is responsible for temples in Bangkok, said on April 20 that he had received several complaints about foreign monks and their improper behaviour at Wat Talom. Last Tuesday, the district chief, the immigration police and officials from the Office of National Buddhism inspected the temple. Phra Maha Somnuek informed the inspectors there were 316 foreign monks staying at the temple. Only 110 were there to present their passports, however.
The abbot said the others were either away studying or were visiting their home countries.
The majority of the foreign monks staying at Wat Talom enter Thailand on tourist visas and then apply for student visas if they are accepted by an institute or university.
''I used to be a teacher at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Buddhist University where a large number of foreign monks want to further their studies,'' said the abbot. Some foreign monks faced difficulties in finding temples to stay at so they could be admitted to such institutions, he said.
Phra Maha Somnuek told Spectrum he first provided foreign monks accommodation when he was appointed abbot of Wat Talom in 2003. In the first year, about 20 foreign monks stayed at the temple. The total kept increasing every year, as did the number of countries they were coming from. The abbot said that formerly monks from Sri Lanka and Nepal stayed at Wat Talom, but they now stay at a temple in Phra Khanong district.
This is not the first time Phra Maha Somnuek and the temple have come under fire for housing foreign monks.
Nopparat Benjawatananun, director-general of the Office of National Buddhism, said there has been a steady stream of complaints against Wat Talom over the years. In March 2011, the temple was inspected by Buddhist authorities and the police following complaints about the large number of foreign monks and their alleged improper behaviour. At that time, the foreign monks reportedly slept in tents in the temple compound. Some went on their alms runs late and collected money from the public, which is strictly forbidden. After the inspection, 13 of the 315 monks staying there at the time were deported for illegal entry as they had no passports.
The former dean of monks in Bangkok at that time gave the abbot a warning to be more careful about ensuring foreign monks had the proper documentation and also to strictly control their behaviour.
Phra Maha Somnuek said the situation has improved since then. ''They do not have to stay in tents - the temple built more kutis [huts] for them.
''The monks from Myanmar have been supported by local communities there. In addition to taking care of tuition fees, they hired construction workers to build temporary kutis for their monks and other facilities,'' he said.
To ensure that the monks do not misbehave, five monks from each country are appointed to look after their countrymen.
''We've made some changes. For example, Cambodian monks normally left the temple to receive food from the people late. I told them to go earlier and come back to the temple not later than 8am as the Thai monks do,'' he said. ''I asked Myanmar monks, who wear dark red robes, to use the same yellow robes as the Thai monks when they are not at the temple.''
Locals in the area also complained that the monks would return to temple past curfew, sometimes as late as midnight.
The abbot also said that he had heard about monks collecting money from the public but had no direct proof of it. ''I issued warnings anyway,'' he said.
HERE TO LEARN
Thailand is a centre for Buddhist studies and as such is sought after among those looking to further their religious studies.
Phra Maha Somnuek said most of the foreign monks at his temple are there because their goal is to study at one of the country's well established Buddhist institutes.
Before applying, however, a monk must be registered as a member of a Thai temple and live there. ''They have to show passports and visas, and submit their ordination credentials,'' the abbot said.
The monks at the temple come from several different countries and the credentials they put forward are in several different languages, increasing the possibility of forgery. To guard against this Phra Maha Somnuek said he carefully compares their documents against other verified forms he has in his records.
Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya and Mahamakut Buddhist universities are the two primary institutions offering advanced Buddhist studies for monks, as well as the general public. Monks who wish to concentrate on Buddhist scriptures can also attend Pariyadhamma schools which are organised by many temples.
According to a report from the National Office of Buddhism, an average of 2,000 foreign monks study at Buddhist institutes in Thailand annually. Tuition fees are affordable. For a bachelor's degree, a monk pays about 25 baht per credit unit while the general public pays about 50 baht per unit.
''Generally each monk pays less than 2,000 baht per semester,'' said an official at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, adding that those who study at Pariyadhamma schools do not have to pay any fees, and are responsible only for books and other materials.
Phra Maha Somnuek said that the foreign monks at his temple who study at Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya stay at the university dormitory on weekdays and at the temple on weekends and important Buddhist holidays.
Meanwhile, those who study at a Pariyaddhamma school at Wat Phra Maha That near Sanam Luang leave in the morning and return in the evening.
The abbot admitted that several foreign monks at Wat Talom do not come here come for a formal course of study. ''Many come to visit their friends who are also monks, and some of these join short meditation courses,'' he said.
SIGHTS ON SOLICITOR
SPhra Maha Somnuek flatly denied allegations that he had received money from foreign monks to live in the temple. Amnat Buasiri, deputy director-general of the National Office of Buddhism, said his office had no knowledge of this either.
He added that if this were to have happened, Phra Promdilok, the dean of Bangkok monks, would have taken action and the matter would now be ''solved''.
The problem of foreign monks coming to Thailand and soliciting money from the public remains unsolved, however, and suspicions persist that some of these monks may be associated with Wat Talom.
A monk at Wat Talom charged by the temple with monitoring the behaviour of other monks said that those coming those from Cambodia and Sri Lanka over the past two years have been implicated in the practice.
Mr Amnat agreed the problem of begging foreign monks was on the rise.
''Monks from Cambodia have been arrested and deported for collecting money in many provinces,'' said Mr Amnat.
Since the beginning of this year, 44 monks from Cambodia have been arrested and deported, all of them holding valid passports and ordination certificates. And just last Wednesday 34 Cambodian monks were arrested while soliciting money in Chon Buri's Muang district.
They all said they came from Battambang province in Cambodia, where they lived in hardship because villagers are too poor to spare food for monks. The monks were staying in tents in a Chinese cemetery in Chon Buri.
This case is relevant to a report that a large number of Cambodian monks have come to Thailand through Sa Kaeo province during the past few months. Battambang is adjacent to Sa Kaeo and Chanthaburi provinces.
In March and earlier this month, four Cambodian monks were arrested for soliciting money in Sattahip district in Chon Buri and six were arrested in Khlong Yai district of Trat province.
Khlong Yai district chief Theeraphol Sirinanuwat said in a phone interview that even though the monks' travel and ordination documents proved they were genuine, their behaviour showed a lack of self-control and tarnished the reputation of Buddhist monks everywhere. ''We decided to deport them before they created bigger problems,'' he said.
Border officials are now taking a closer look at monks wishing to cross onto Thai soil. Alongkorn Arkawat, the district chief in Trat's Bo Rai district, said officials in all border provinces have a duty to monitor this situation.
When contacted by Spectrum, Prakob Jirakiti, vice-chairman of the House commission on religion and culture, agreed that monks soliciting money is a growing problem.
''We [the commission] are asking for information from the concerned authorities so that we can discuss the issue and make recommendations to help solve the problem,'' he said.