All the holy men of a Buddhist monastery in central Thailand were defrocked after they failed drug tests, leaving the sanctuary without any monks.
Police compelled all four monks at a monastery in central Thailand's Bung Sam Phan district to submit to urine tests on Monday in Phetchabun province. The abbot included, all four of them failed.
Keep reading to find out more.
According to the official, the monks have been transported to a medical facility for drug rehabilitation. Worshipers might earn merit by giving food to monks as a good deed.
"The temple is now empty of monks, and nearby villagers are concerned they cannot do any merit-making."
Although, Boonlert promised that extra monks would be dispatched to the temple so the locals could fulfill their religious duties.
Following the terrible nursery killings, which prompted Thai authorities to step up the so-called war on drugs and introduce stricter firearms controls, the country's drug problem only recently came under discussion. A childcare center shooting left 36 people dead, including 24 toddlers.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime claims that Thailand is a significant transit country for methamphetamine that enters Laos from Myanmar's unstable Shan state (UNODC).
Street vendors charge less than 20 baht (about $0.50) for the meth pills known as Yaba.
Authorities have recently made a record number of meth seizures in Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.
According to reports, Hong Kong's largest-ever meth seizure last month was when they discovered 1.8 metric tons of liquid meth concealed in cartons of coconut water headed for Australia.
In what police call the largest-ever seizure of the illegal narcotic in Australia, investigators discovered 2 tons of meth in marble tiles sent from the Middle East to Sydney in August.
Nevertheless, Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for tourists and wealthy Westerners looking for addiction and recovery treatments. Numerous Buddhist monasteries throughout the country, such as Thamkrabok, 140 kilometers outside Bangkok, specialize in treating drug addiction.
Thailand was the first nation in Asia to decriminalize marijuana use earlier this year. Cannabis is no longer considered a controlled substance by the nation's health officials, allowing users to grow and use the herb at home. Cannabis can only be grown and used medically, and anyone caught smoking it in public will be subject to harsh punishments.
According to Somboon Chungprampree, executive secretary of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, revealed to VICE, “The ultimate goal of Buddhism is for the people to get enlightened… most of the society is learning that not all those who are wearing saffron can be a holy or respectable person.”
About 93 percent of the population practices Buddhism, Thailand's official religion. Approximately 300,000 monks live in the nation.
