The first hint of scandal at Wat Rai Khing (Temple on the Ginger Farm) was the arrest of the head monk in May.
The 70-year-old abbot of the Buddhist monastery near Bangkok was accused of misappropriating over $9 million from the temple’s coffers. A female associate with links to online gambling platforms was one of the principal beneficiaries of the money transfers.
The suspicious transactions at Wat Rai Khing prompted a large-scale investigation into financial irregularities across the Buddhist temple system in Thailand.
More than 200 religious institutions were targeted by the police in a series of crackdowns dubbed “Temple Grounds Sweep.” Among them, the “Golf Scandal” was arguably the most damaging to the Buddhist monastic community known as the Sangha.
The crisis came to light at Wat Tri Thotsateph Worawihan in Bangkok, where the abbot and his associates were embroiled in a seduction, gambling, and extortion scheme orchestrated by a temple goer and casino enthusiast nicknamed “Sika Golf.”
The 35-year-old perpetrator, whose real name is Wilawan Emsawat, benefited financially to the tune of $11 million over a three-year period. The tangled financial web implicated an elite group of clerics, including eight abbots. Investigators discovered about 80,000 compromising images and videos in Wilawan’s possession that may have been used to blackmail her sexual partners. The former abbot at Wat Tri Thotsateph, who allegedly fathered a child with her, fled to Laos to avoid arrest.
“Senior monks have weaknesses and money,” commented an official at the Crime Suppression Division, a unit of the Central Investigation Bureau.
Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn, who revoked titles conferred on 81 monks in July, issued a statement expressing concern over the “inappropriate conduct” of senior ecclesiastical figures that had caused “spiritual distress” among the Buddhist congregations.
Temples like Wat Rai Khing in the central province of Nakhon Pathom serve as anchors for their local communities. Located on a scenic riverbank, the pier is a popular destination for “merit-making” activities such as fish feeding. The temple generated $2 million in income in 2024, collected in part from approximately 100 donation boxes on the premises, which accept cash or QR code contributions.
Following up on complaints of “misconduct,” the police examined 51 bank accounts at the temple and 33 private accounts belonging to the abbot and his female friend, Aranyawan Wangthapan. Her requests for loans to repay gambling debts were first made in 2020. Over a four-year period, the 28-year-old former vegetable vendor accumulated assets including luxury real estate worth more than $1 million.
“Anybody can step in and exploit these temples,” said Thanthip Srisuwannaket, a senior researcher at the Thailand Development Research Institute. The Bangkok-based think tank has long advocated for an overhaul of the temple financial system.
In a report on Thai PBS World, Thanthip cited the model adopted by Sri Lanka, where the government periodically monitors the accounts of Buddhist temples. “Temples should be run like organizations, with a committee overseeing management. There must be accountability and transparency at every step,” she said.
Thailand’s National Office of Buddhism (NOB) is responsible for overseeing the accounts of the temples. However, in practice, there is little oversight over the spending decisions of senior monks. A past director of the NOB said that the agency can report but not investigate clergy suspected of irregular financial practices.
Suchart Tancharoen, a cabinet minister who oversees the NOB, admitted there was “deep need for reform within the temple system.”
Starting in October, cash holdings will be capped at 100,000 baht ($3,000), and temples will be required to submit monthly financial statements. In addition, the Sangha Act may be amended to permit legal action against clergy who break the law and members of the public who target temples for financial gain. Currently, the only penalty that errant monks face is expulsion from the Sangha.
Suchart hopes the new regulations will empower the NOB to take corrective action before minor offenses escalate into full-blown embezzlement scandals. He urged officials in charge of temple oversight to “work proactively.”
Meanwhile, police raids under Operation “Temple Grounds Sweep” are ongoing. Last week, a monk who set up an AIDS hospice in Lopburi and a fund-raising influencer were taken into custody for a suspected embezzlement scheme.
