News Forum - 2 fake monks make up to 40k baht per day scamming villagers in northern Thailand

[Thaiger]

Police arrested two men dressed up in orange robes at a market in Tak province, northern Thailand, yesterday morning. The “monks” were walking around the market asking for donations from merchants and customers. Locals said the pair have been at it for years. At 9am, officers from Wang Chao Police Station received a call that “monks” were walking around a market in Chiang Thong subdistrict and asking for money. According to the monastic code, monks are not allowed to ask for donations or personally own money, so police went to investigate. The police found the two “monks” stood with a […]

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[palooka]

Lady monk in Hua Hin went around the market asking for donations for a long time till she could buy a new car.

Think the "true" monks themselves should be monitoring this sort of behaviour and putting a stop to it.

41,000 plus temples in Thailand ---they are into every nook and cranny in the country so should have the best and latest info on what goes on anywhere, and these A...Holes are giving them a bad name.

According to the monastic code, monks are not allowed to ask for donations or personally own money.

Has to be the biggest in house joke of nearly every Wat in the country.

Know a couple of wealthy ones myself. One I know bought 5 rai of bamboo, harvested it and sold it to Chinese interests for a huge profit. Wat head monk got a kick back and played the Lao lottery and won 100,000 baht.

How do I know this, I walked with the monks alm gathering for a year and pleaded ignorance of the Thai language.

 

[DesperateOldHand]

The whole of the broader Wat circles aren't even close to what it use to be.

Today, it's closer to resembling a racketeering for profit business and personal gain than it is a calling and the promotion of a healthier community. 

Sad.

Edited August 18, 2022 by DesperateOldHand

[ThaiEyes]

Gaining merit just isn’t what it used to be. Or it’s exactly what it used to be, not sure anymore 

[Janneman]

40k a day is a nice income. Like 1k US$ or so? Should be enough to pay for the rising electricity cost. Or did PM Prayut mean something else with 'studying buddhism' ?

[HolyCowCm]

The sure weren’t monk(eying) around. That’s serious money. 

[Mohandas]

Not much difference between fake and real monks these days.

[TeddY]

So one fake monk can make 20 000 bahts a day...If only half of the 300 000 real ones are making about the same, that is 3 billiard bahts everyday tax free...As monks  have to give it back to the temple, some buddhist temple heads must be amazingly rich. If i were thai i would like somebody to check on where goes the money...

[HiuMak]

Many drives Mercedes Benz, wears a Rolex and has a Golden tooth.

[Thommo]

Thia monks remind so much of the catholic church

[joseph]

Or prehaps the "Church of England".