Rape charges were filed on Saturday against a Buddhist monk who allegedly took advantage of a woman who was participating in a meditation retreat at his monastery in Buri Ram.
Chalida Palamat, chairwoman of the Be One Foundation, accompanied a 38-year-old foreign woman, referred to as A, to the Nong Song Hong police station on Saturday to file charges against the monastery in Muang district of this northeastern province.
The woman alleges that a monk, identified only as Wichai, 59, sexually assaulted her on Wednesday night while she was attending a retreat at his monastery.
She told police she had decided to participate in the retreat after seeing video clips on social media of participants at the monastery achieving enlightenment. After contacting the monk, she was invited to visit the site, named the Saeng Tham Garden, and told she could stay free of charge until she was able to overcome her suffering.
Initially planning to stay at the retreat for two months with her husband, A arrived in Buri Ram on Monday without her spouse, who had decided to remain in Pattaya.
After being contacted by Mr Wichai several times by phone, A said the monk entered her sleeping chamber at the monastery on Wednesday night and proceeded to molest her. She did not resist during the incident as she was afraid that he had a weapon.
The next morning, A approached a nun and said that Mr Wichai attempted to convince her to remain at the monastery, offering her 8,000 baht. She was able to record their conversation as evidence, including the monk’s comments urging her to “stay because of love”.
Ms Chalida said an investigation into Mr Wichai’s Facebook account revealed photos of him posing with luxury cars and inviting people to join in his retreats. She expressed concern that he was using the monastery as a front to lure women into assault or to defraud them of money.
Following this evidence, the heads of the Buddhist clergy in Buri Ram unanimously decided to expel Mr Wichai from the monkhood immediately.
Police also ordered the closure of the meditation centre, prohibiting any further dissemination of religious teachings or fundraising activities.
Authorities are continuing to investigating the other allegations arising from the case.