Young Myanmar Monk Found Dead in Temple Pond, Authorities Investigate
A 7-year-old Myanmar novice monk drowned in a temple pond in Lamphun province; authorities launched an investigation after discovering the temple had conducted funeral rites without reporting the death to police.
On September 18, 2025, Deputy Governor Krit Pinit of Lamphun, along with police deputies and officials from the Lamphun Provincial Buddhism Office, entered a temple in Tambon Tham Phattana, Koh Kha District, Lamphun province, to examine and secure the body of a 7-year-old Myanmar novice monk who drowned in a temple pond. The temple had not reported the death to police or local administration, and had already placed the body in a coffin for religious services at the temple hall.
Investigators learned that the novice had gone to swim in the pond. His shoes were left at the water's edge. When a monk found him, he entered the water, located the submerged body, and retrieved it. The temple then began funeral rites and Buddhist chanting at the hall that evening on September 17, the first night, without informing police or administrative officials.
Authorities have sent the novice's body to the forensic pathology unit at Lamphun Hospital for autopsy to determine the cause of death and will continue investigating those involved.
