Sunday marked Visakha Bucha Day which is the commemoration of the birth, enlightenment and death of the Lord Buddha. Buddhism is the largest religion in Thailand, but we cannot deny that faith in Buddhism has declined due to the inappropriate behaviour and misconduct of some monks.
In the past months, media outlets have reported news of many monastic members including monks of high ranks -- such as abbots -- engaging in sexual and other misconduct. A recent monk scandal concerns the case of Phra Kato, 23, at Wat Pen Yat in Chawang district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, who had a sexual relationship with a 37-year-old woman. Because of this, Phra Kato, or Pongsakorn Chankaew, was forced to leave monkhood.
Phra Kato was well known for his humorous preaching videos on social media. After he left the monkhood, Pongsakorn became even more well-known. When he appeared in public, people wanted to take photos with him or were excited to see him. Media outlets reported that he earned more income than when he was a monk. Pongsakorn earned 30,000 baht for one monastic event. Currently, he can earn 30,000 to 60,000 baht for a 30-minute appearance and a singing performance of four or five songs.
