Many monks including all at a temple were defrocked as officials found the trace of drug abuse in their urine. An abbot escaped from the anti-narcotic operation.
On Nov 25, police from the Bung Sam Phan station, administrative officials, village headmen and medical workers conducted drug tests at Buddhist temples in Phetchabun’s Bung Sam Phan district. At least five monks from three temples had narcotic residue in their urine and one of them was an abbot who had been in monkhood for more than a decade.
Sangyuti Namburee, head of Bung Sam Phan sub-district, said that the matter hurt people’s feeling and he would discuss solutions with senior monks and local people. No temples would be left deserted, especially Wat Kasemnok where all its four monks including its abbot tested positive for drug abuse. All its junior monks were defrocked and its abbot secretly left the temple, Mr Sangyuti said.
He ordered the executive committees of the local temples to check the assets of the temples. Some defrocked monks stayed to clean their temple and feed dogs and chicken, Mr Sangyuti said. He expected the drug addicts would become good for the sake of society after their rehabilitation. (TNA)
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