Thailand’s Buddhist religious establishment is facing its most serious crisis in recent memory as a sex and money scandal involving one woman and at least 19 monks continues to unfold, forcing seven monks to defrock their religious leaders within a single week.
The woman at the center of the controversy, identified as “Miss Golf” (Seeka Golf), has been both criticized and mockingly dubbed a “serial monk killer” or “tigress monk hunter” by social media users. Some have sarcastically suggested she has inadvertently helped reform the Buddhist clergy and encouraged Buddhist followers to reconsider their donation practices.
Is is a tragedy that many followers of these monks and temples, who can ill afford to donate, still do donate due to their religions beliefs. All these donations frivolously spent on immoral activities.
The case began when Phra Kru Yaem, abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom province, was blackmailed by another woman named “Gen” using compromising video clips. Gen reportedly extorted several million baht from the monk to fund her online gambling activities. When the scandal broke in May, Phra Kru Yaem was forced to leave the monkhood, and authorities launched an investigation into suspicious financial transfers between temple accounts and personal accounts.
The investigation led to Phra Kru Ard, abbot of Wat Tritosathep temple in Bangkok – a prominent temple serving as a crematorium for police officers – who quietly fled to disrobe in Nong Khai province, apparently to avoid prosecution related to his alleged relationship with Miss Golf.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Charoonkiat Pankaew, Deputy Commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, questions Miss Golf (second from right), the woman at the center of the case involving inappropriate relationships and financial dealings with multiple monks, at her residence in Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi province on July 4, 2025.
Mass Disrobing
On July 9, dubbed mockingly as “Big Monk Disrobing Day,” six monks left the religious order in a single day due to their alleged inappropriate relationships with Miss Golf. All were senior monks and deputy abbots from temples in central and eastern Thailand, with three forced to disrobe due to serious evidence of disciplinary violations.
Deputy Commander Pol. Lt. Gen. Charoonkiat Pankaew of the Central Investigation Bureau is leading the investigation. A search of Miss Golf’s residence uncovered crucial evidence on her mobile phone, including approximately 80,000 files of images and videos documenting her relationships with various monks.
Most public attention has focused on Phra Kru Pradit, abbot of Wat Phra Buddha Chai in Saraburi province. In a television interview, Miss Golf claimed she was not receiving money from monks but rather giving them money as a girlfriend, having been in a relationship since 2019. She stated the money came from online gambling winnings and that she had transferred 3 million baht to Phra Kru Pradit’s account.
The assistant of an abbot of Wat Pak Nam temple in Samut Prakan province removes his robes after leaving the monkhood following the discovery of his involvement with Miss Golf on July 7.
According to police testimony, Miss Golf admitted to deliberately targeting wealthy and accessible monks. Money obtained from monks was allegedly used for online gambling, which she began in 2021. She claimed to use only one gambling website and once won as much as 10 million baht in a single session.
Miss Golf confessed to police about having intimate relationships with approximately eight monks, while maintaining that her connections with the remaining five or six were merely religious devotion and requests for loans. However, authorities remain skeptical and continue investigating evidence showing financial transfers involving 19 monks from 18 different temples.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Charoonkiat emphasized that police have ongoing work but cannot reveal details. He stressed that the investigation aims to ensure religious institutions maintain monks who properly observe Buddhist precepts, insisting police do not intend to damage Buddhism.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Charoonkiat Pankaew, Deputy Commander of the Central Investigation Bureau, meets with the investigation team regarding the “female predator” case in which several senior monks had inappropriate relationships and financial dealings with the same woman, at CIB headquarters in Bangkok on July 7, 2025.
“I want to remind monks nationwide to be careful about various activities involving women who approach them, whether in the form of making large donations as wealthy benefactors or high-society individuals, but who may actually be criminals seeking to deceive and gain trust through Line chats, phone calls, and recording compromising videos,” the deputy commander warned. “If monks remain vigilant and careful, such incidents will not occur.”
The scandal has sent shockwaves through Thailand’s Buddhist community and raised serious questions about oversight and accountability within religious institutions that play a central role in Thai society.
Source: Khaosod English