The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases ordered alleged femme fatale Wilawan Emsawat detained for 12 days today, pending completion of a police investigation into sex scandals allegedly involving her and several senior monks.
Wilawan did not apply for bail and was immediately taken to the Central Women’s Correctional Institution.
This afternoon, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) officers, led by Deputy Commissioner Charoonkiat Pankaew, visited the abbot of Prayurawongsawat Warawihan Temple to seek his permission to check the temple’s bank accounts, after the assistant abbot, Chaokhun Prasit, left the monkhood yesterday, following allegations that he was involved in the sex scandal.
The CIB officers were later joined by officials from the National Office of Buddhism, which has come under heavy criticism from the police for its alleged inaction in dealing with errant monks.
It is also reported that an abbot of a temple in Pho Prathap Chang district in Phichit province hastily left the temple Wednesday night by car, without informing anyone, after a video clip was leaked on social media portraying a senior monk, believed to be the temple’s abbot, in conversation with a woman, thought to be Wilawan.
The abbot’s shelter was found to be locked from the outside and monks at the temple claim that they saw the abbot leaving the temple last night in a black sedan with a Phitsanuloke registration plate.
A village headman of Moo 2 claims that he talked with the abbot last night, before he disappeared, to request the return of his village’s generator.
