TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Thailand's infamous 'jet-set monk' convicted of raping a minor

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Bangkok, Thailand
Wed, October 17, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

Thailand's infamous 'jet-set monk' convicted of raping a minor Disgraced Thai monk Wiraphon Sukphon (3rd-L) arrives with other prisoners at a criminal court in Bangkok to face another sentence on October 17, 2018. The Thai (AFP/-)

T

hailand's infamous "jet-set monk" was convicted of raping an underage girl Wednesday, a court official said, in a case that has rocked an already scandal-mired Buddhist clergy.

Wiraphon Sukphon, 39, earned his evocative moniker after footage emerged of him wearing designer sunglasses with a Louis Vuitton bag on a private jet.

He was extradited back to Thailand from the US last year, accused of the rape and duping donors who had given him money to build what he said would be the world's largest emerald image of Buddha.

The girl was under the age of 15 and Wiraphon is said to have later fathered a child with her.

In Wednesday's ruling, which found him guilty of rape and separating the girl from her parents, the court said he had given the Buddhist faith a "bad reputation".

"He used his monkhood, which Thai people respect," the court official told AFP.

Wiraphon's 16-year custodial sentence punishment will be added to the 20-year prison term he received in August after being found guilty of multiple counts of fraud.

The military junta that seized power in 2014 has taken a hardline against monks acting outside the law and authorities have considered introducing digitised ID cards that could track members of the community with criminal histories.

Thailand is mostly Buddhist and the religion is woven into everyday life, but drug, sex and financial scandals have weighed on the Buddhist leadership and forced some high-profile collisions with law enforcement.

In May the abbot of the tourist-heavy "Golden Mount" temple in Bangkok was arrested after $4 million was found in bank accounts in his name. 

Police are also investigating allegations of financial wrongdoing within the National Office of Buddhism.

And early last year, soldiers raided the temple of the mega-rich Dhammakaya sect on the outskirts of Bangkok to detain its controversial abbot on accusations of massive fraud. He eluded capture and remains at large.

{

Your Opinion Counts

Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.