Police in Surat Thani inspected a prominent temple and discovered two monks in violation of the law. One monk tested positive for drugs, while another faced an arrest warrant. Both monks were defrocked in accordance with monastic discipline before being handed over for legal proceedings.
Jarae Tungkaew, the district chief of Koh Samui’s security division, along with local defence volunteers and officers from Koh Samui Police Station and Koh Samui Tourist Police, inspected Wat Si Thawip in Ang Thong subdistrict, Koh Samui district. During the operation, seven monks were invited to undergo urine tests for drugs.
The results revealed that the 42 year old resident monk, Boonchob, tested positive for drugs. Another monk, 42 year old Phongphet, also a resident monk, had an outstanding arrest warrant for fraud. The remaining five monks tested negative for drugs, and no illegal substances were found during the search of the monks’ quarters.
Following these findings, the officials proceeded to defrock Boonchob and Phongphet as per monastic regulations. Boonchob was subsequently sent for rehabilitation, while Phongphet was handed over to Koh Samui Police Station for further legal action, reported KhaoSod.
In similar news, on August 12, local police and Taphan Hin police carried out a coordinated operation targeting two temples for drug testing among monks. Five monks tested positive and were subsequently defrocked and sent for rehabilitation.
The crackdown, spearheaded by Phichit Governor Thaneya Naipinit, is part of a broader temple reform initiative. Suphot Rattanarungruang, Taphan Hin district chief, and Wongsthorn Butsen, district security officer, led over 10 officers in the No Drugs, No Dealers campaign.
The operation aims to test monks and novices across 36 temples in Taphan Hin district, home to 232 monks and novices in total. On August 11, surprise inspections at two temples revealed five monks with positive drug results.
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