Thai woman arrested in sex scandal that saw nine Buddhist monks expelled

Wilawan Emsawat allegedly seduced and blackmailed several Buddhist monks to rake in large payments worth millions of euros over three years.

Police in Thailand have arrested a woman who allegedly enticed several Buddhist monks into sexual relationships, and then blackmailed them with videos and photos of the acts. Wilawan Emsawat, in her mid-30s, was arrested on Tuesday at her home in Nonthaburi province north of the capital Bangkok on charges including extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen goods.Thai police believe Wilawan had sex with at least nine monks, and say she received around 385 million baht (€10.2 million) over the past three years by extorting her targets. Wilawan has not made a statement since her arrest and it is unclear if she has legal representation. Speaking to local media before her arrest, she acknowledged one relationship and said she had given money to that monk.The possible violation of the celibacy rule for monks has rocked Buddhist institutions and gripped public attention in Thailand. At least nine abbots and senior monks involved in the scandal have been disrobed and cast out of the monkhood, the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau said.Scandals involving monks surface a few times a year in Thailand but do not tend to involve senior members of the clergy. Wilawan's arrest also puts a spotlight on the large sums of money donated to the temples controlled by abbots, which is in stark contrast to the abstemious lives they are supposed to lead under Buddhist precepts.Jaroonkiat Pankaew, a Central Investigation Bureau deputy commissioner, said the investigation began last month after an abbot of a famous temple in Bangkok abruptly left the monkhood.