A Thai monk attempted to cover up sexually abusing a five year old girl at a temple in the central province of Nakhon Pathom by giving the young victim 40 baht in cash.
The victim’s 62 year old grandmother requested Channel 3 to help bring justice to her young granddaughter. The woman explained that the sexual assault took place on October 27 when she and the girl attended a merit-making ceremony at the temple.
The grandmother revealed that her 10 year old grandchild, a novice at the temple, witnessed the entire sexual abuse committed by the pedophile monk. The two children then informed her of the incident.
According to the girl, the monk called her to talk to him privately and offered her money to buy snacks and toys. The girl then approached the monk and was touched inappropriately on her private part. The deviant monk gave her 40 baht in cash and let her go.
The grandmother brought the issue to the abbot of the temple, and the deputy abbot summoned the accused monk for questioning. The monk insisted on his innocence and even claimed that he gave money to the girl because he felt sorry for her poverty.
The deputy abbot deemed the monk guilty and banned him from leaving the temple, confining him to the temple grounds. The deputy abbot added he could not interfere with the legal proceedings conducted by the police.
The grandmother was asked to report the matter to the police herself and the abbot promised to facilitate the investigation as much as possible.
The deputy abbot added that the temple received a similar complaint from a resident in the past and the case remains under investigation by the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Buddhist Office. The abbot reportedly expelled this monk multiple times before but no other temples would allow him to stay.
In a related report in September, a 79 year old abbot of a temple in the southern province of Prachuap Kiri Khan was arrested for sexually assaulting a 15 year old girl. The monk was reportedly one of ten suspects involved in the assault case.
Another abbot in the Isaan province of Roi Et was removed from his position at the beginning of this month for allegedly sexually assaulting monks and young novices.
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