Three Monks Test Positive for Drug Use in Sisaket
Three monks in Sisaket's Nam Kliang district tested positive for drug use following an investigation by authorities, with one found possessing methamphetamine tablets. Two of the positive cases involved previously defrocked monks who had no
On August 11, Nathanan Suwannimit, the district chief of Nam Kliang in Sisaket Province and director of the district drug prevention and suppression operation center, announced that he had assigned security officials led by Ms. Chatkarn Kotarak, a civil servant, along with volunteers to investigate complaints. Intelligence indicated that monks staying in temples in Nam Kliang and Rung Rawi subdistricts were engaged in drug-related behavior.
Officials conducted urine tests on four monks at the first targeted temple in Nam Kliang. Three tested negative and one tested positive: a 58-year-old monk identified as "A." A search of his quarters revealed two methamphetamine tablets hidden inside. During initial questioning, the monk admitted to purchasing the drugs from locals and using them once a week or three to four times a month.
Officials then visited another temple in Rung Rawi subdistrict, where ten monks were in residence. Eight tested negative; two tested positive, identified as monks "B" and "C." Local sources revealed that monks B and C had previously been defrocked for drug-related offenses but later returned to monastic life. They had not undergone formal ordination from an abbot but instead sought spiritual redemption by worshipping at local earth shrines before donning robes again and moving into the temple.
