A 68-year-old monk has been expelled from the monkhood after being caught on video changing into civilian clothes and entering a short-stay motel with a woman in broad daylight in Pranburi.
The incident came to light after a TikTok user posted footage of the monk, whom they claimed to recognise from his regular alms rounds in the area. The man, seen wearing a cap, patterned T-shirt, and black shorts, was recorded riding pillion on a motorcycle with a woman before the pair entered a motel.
The clip quickly spread online, sparking public discussion and prompting the motel owner to threaten legal action against the person who posted the video. However, police confirmed the post did not mention the motel by name or include any defamatory content. As a result, no legal action was taken against the poster.
Investigators from Pranburi Police Station later visited the motel and reviewed CCTV footage, which confirmed the pair had entered the premises together. The man was identified as a monk living at a nearby monastic residence.
Upon being confronted by authorities, including Phra Khru Palad Wachiranan Wachirawutho, the abbot of Wat Na Huai and a monastic discipline officer, the monk admitted to having visited the woman on three occasions and paying her 300 baht each time for sex. The woman reportedly lives near the monk’s residence.
The monk also acknowledged having disrobed and re-entered the monkhood several times in the past.
Phra Khru Palad Wachiranan said the monk’s actions violated the most serious offence in the monastic code, known as parajika, which involves sexual misconduct and results in immediate and permanent expulsion from the monkhood. As the monk had committed a parajika offence, his monkhood was considered automatically terminated without the need for a formal defrocking ceremony.
Authorities confirmed that no legal charges would be filed against either party, as the acts were consensual and did not constitute a criminal offence.