A Buddhist sex scandal has erupted in Thailand after a woman filmed herself sleeping with monks before blackmailing them for cash.
Wilawan Emsawat, 35, was arrested for allegedly seducing and then extorting senior Buddhist clergy of up to £9 million.
At least nine monks have been disrobed for breaking their vows of celibacy after sex videos between Wilawan and the religious men were uncovered.
The scandal unfolded after the head of a famous Buddhist temple in Bangkok suddenly renounced his monkhood and disappeared.
It soon transpired that the religious leader, Phra Thep Wachirapamok, 53, had allegedly been sleeping with Wilawan.
She had told the monk she was pregnant and threatened to reveal their relationship if he did not pay her 7.2m baht (£165,000) in child support.
When he refused to cough up, she allegedly exposed their liaison to fellow monks, and he fled.
Investigators discovered five phones containing tens of thousands of videos and photos of her having sex with Phra Thep Wachirapamok and other monks.
Some were even wearing their religious robes while in the act, the police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said.
Officers also found chats which pointed to sexual acts with religious men, which they said could be used for blackmail.
The alleged seductress was arrested in Bangkok on Tuesday on suspicion of crimes including extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods.
It was revealed that about 385 million baht (£9 million) had been deposited into her bank account in the last three years, police added.
‘We checked her financial trail and found that it involves many temples,’ the Thai police’s Jaroonkiat Pankaew said on Tuesday.
He added: ‘This woman is dangerous and we needed to arrest her as soon as possible’
Investigators believe the scandal could be about far more than sex and may involve corruption on a large scale.
At least nine abbots, who are heads of monasteries, and senior monks had been implicated in the scandal and thrown out of the monkhood.
A number have already confessed to long-standing affairs with her, one even admitting that Wilawan gave him a car during their fling.
The country’s Central Investigation Bureau have even set up a Facebook page for people to report on monks breaking the rules.
Thai monks mostly belong to the Theravada sect, which requires them to be celibate and refrain from touching a woman.
Phra Thep Wachirapamok has not yet been tracked down after his disappearance.
Although Wilawan has not commented since her arrest, she spoke to local media before Tuesday and acknowledged one relationship and said she had given him money.
The scandal has prompted huge acrimony in the predominantly Buddhist country.
(Picture: AP)
Thailand’s acting PM Phumtham Wechayachai has ordered for laws to be amended to improve the transparency of temple finances.
Respected columnist Ekachai wrote: ‘Monks must ask themselves: Why did they enter monkhood? For spiritual training, or to climb the social ladder and gain wealth and power through the saffron robe?
‘This is structural rot rooted in a clergy strong on authoritarian control but weak on monastic discipline. It’s the bitter fruit of a system that has drifted far from the Buddha’s path.’
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