A local official stated on Tuesday that a Buddhist monastery in central Thailand is now without monks after all of its holy men failed drug tests and were defrocked. According to the authority, the monks have been transferred to a medical facility for drug rehabilitation.
According to district administrator, Boonlert Thintapthai of Phetchabun province, four monks, including an abbot, at a temple in the Bung Sam Phan district tested positive for methamphetamine on Monday.
“The temple is now empty of monks and nearby villagers are concerned they cannot do any merit-making,” he said.
Worshipers might earn merit by giving food to monks as a good deed. More monks will be dispatched to the temple, according to Boonlert, so that the locals can fulfill their religious duties.
UN report on the Drug Problem in Thailand
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime claims that Thailand is a significant transit country for methamphetamine that enters the country via Laos from Myanmar’s unstable Shan state.
In recent years, authorities in Southeast Asia have seized unprecedented amounts of meth. Pills can be purchased for less than 20 baht (about $0.50) on the street. The monks then allegedly confessed to using and dealing drugs, telling the detectives that they had been doing both
Who are Monks?
A monk is a man who has isolated himself from society and lives alone in order to dedicate his entire life to religion. The Benedict distinguishes between coenobites, anchorites/hermits, sarabaites, and gyrovagues as four different monastic subgroups.