2025 Thai monk scandal

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Several high-profile cases involving Buddhist monks rocked Thailand in 2025.

Early 2025 case
Phra Thammavajiranuwat (Yaem), the abbot of Wat Raiking in Nakhon Pathom, was accused of siphoning temple funds to pay for a gambling website. Reports vary on the amount, with figures around tens to hundreds of millions of baht. He was arrested and subsequently disrobed. An investigation by the Central Investigation Bureau indicated that more than ten temples were involved in the broader case.

July 2025 case and aftermath
In July 2025, the disappearance of Phra Thep Wachirapamok led to the arrest of Wilawan Emsawat, who allegedly blackmailed thousands of monks using sexual videos. By 14 July 2025, six senior monks had been defrocked and two remained missing.

Wilawan Emsawat was arrested on 15 July 2025 in Nonthaburi, facing charges of receiving stolen goods, extortion, and money laundering. In a 16 July interview, she admitted to having multiple relationships with two monks and a religious professor. Police reported finding five phones with material showing sexual acts involving monks and said she had targeted senior monks. Following her arrest, authorities announced plans to conduct background checks on about 300,000 Buddhist monks in Thailand.

Context
Buddhism is the main religion in Thailand, with about 200,000 monks and 85,000 novices at any time.