Surprise raids in Phichit temples
A shocking drug scandal has rocked two temples in Thailand’s Phichit province after police swooped in for surprise tests — and found five monks high on narcotics.
On August 12, Taphan Hin police and local officials carried out drug tests on monks in two temples as part of a province-wide crackdown. Five holy men tested positive for illegal substances, forcing their immediate defrocking.
Governor orders crackdown
Phichit Governor Thaneya Naipinit ordered the crackdown under the No Drugs, No Dealers campaign, aimed at cleansing the monkhood of substance abuse. District chief Suphot Rattanarungruang and security officer Wongsthorn Butsen led more than ten officers in the operation, targeting the district’s 36 temples — home to 232 monks and novices.
The disgraced monks were stripped of their robes and taken to Somdet Phra Yupharat Taphan Hin Hospital for rehabilitation. Police have launched an investigation to track down the drug suppliers infiltrating temple grounds.
Phuket temple scandal
The Phichit bust comes just days after another temple — this time in the holiday island of Phuket — was rocked by its own meth scandal.
On August 7, Cherng Talay Police raided Wat Cherng Talay in Thalang district after a tip-off from the temple’s committee chair, Worapong Sae Jia, who accused monks and staff of using drugs.
Joined by the Phuket Provincial Office of Buddhism, health officials, and local authorities, police tested seven monks and five staff members. Three monks and two workers tested positive for methamphetamine.
Both cases have raised alarm over drug abuse in Thailand’s temples — institutions traditionally seen as sanctuaries of morality and discipline.
