Woman Accuses Elderly Monk of Sexual Harassment on Facebook
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A 56-year-old woman has accused an elderly monk from a forest temple in Maha Sarakham province of sending lewd messages and sexually harassing her via Facebook, with additional allegations emerging that he targeted other women as well.
On October 29, reporters received a complaint from Ms. Na (pseudonym), a 56-year-old resident of Tha Takiap district, Chachoengsao province. She alleged that a Facebook user identifying as a Buddhist monk in Wapi Pathum district, Maha Sarakham, sent sexually suggestive comments and messages that made her uncomfortable and were unbecoming of a monk. She wishes to submit evidence to the Chachoengsao Buddhist Office to coordinate with relevant agencies in Maha Sarakham for investigation.
Ms. Na explained the incident occurred on October 16 after she posted a video to her Facebook story. A user commented in Isan dialect with sexual innuendo: "Have fun sleeping together, it's good/fun, madam." Initially unaware the account belonged to a monk, she checked the profile and found photos of an elderly monk. Displeased, she replied, after which the user responded with vulgar, sexually threatening language. Feeling angry, she took screenshots as evidence before the monk's messages were later deleted. Preliminary checks revealed the monk appears to be quite old and resides at a forest temple in Wapi Pathum, Maha Sarakham.
On October 21, she went to Tha Takiap Police Station to file a report, but police declined to accept a formal complaint due to the lack of a third-party witness, only recording a daily log entry. She views the actions as sexual harassment and, because the perpetrator is a monk, wants him defrocked to prevent further harm to the religion's reputation. Since the monk is in a distant province, she found it inconvenient to file directly in Maha Sarakham and feared the case would be buried, so she traveled to Chachoengsao city seeking media help to lodge a complaint with the local Buddhist Office.
She also provided chat screenshots and information indicating the same account had contacted other women in a flirtatious manner, including a video clip allegedly sent to another woman before she captured a still image and posted it on the monk's thread. She submitted this evidence requesting a thorough investigation, and if wrongdoing is confirmed, disciplinary and legal action. Ms. Na emphasized she regularly visits temples to make merit and does not want society to generalize that all monks behave this way, but believes inappropriate conduct should be investigated to protect public faith in Buddhism.
