From thethaiger.comSeven Buddhist monks and two others are being held after being arrested for allegedly embezzling cash and items worth a total of 300 million baht (US$8.9 million). The items and cash were among donations given by devotees to Wat Pa Thammakhiri, a Buddhist monastery in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in northeast Thailand. She was caught with 120 million baht (US$3.8 million) in her bank account along with 51 million baht (US$1.5 million) in cash hidden in her home. Temples in Thailand rely heavily on gifts from laypeople to sustain their work of spreading the teachings of Buddhism. Read more80 million baht cash found buried at Buddhist temple in Thailand (The Thaiger)7 Buddhist monks accused of embezzling more than $5.3 million donated to temple in Thailand (ABC News)7 Buddhist monks arrested for allegedly embezzling nearly $12m from Thai temple (The Straits Times)Thailand’s junta renews corruption crackdown on Buddhist monks (The Guardian)Buddhist Monks Keep Getting Arrested for Corruption, Murder and Drug Trafficking (VICE World News)Related news reports from BDGBuddhist Temple in Thailand Left Empty After Monks Test Positive for DrugsLegalized Cannabis Sparks Concern in Buddhist ThailandUPDATE: Refugee Buddhist Monk Released from Detention in ThailandBuddhist Monks on the Frontline as COVID-19 Surges in ThailandBuddhist Monks in Thailand Face Protest ProhibitionFormer Director of Thailand’s National Office of Buddhism Sentenced to 94 Years in Prison

Source: The Guardian May 16, 2023 12:29 UTC