Thai Buddhist Abbot Sentenced to 160 Years for Raping Girls

A criminal court on Monday sentenced a former Buddhist abbot to 160 years in prison for raping underage girls, but he will have to serve only 50 years under Thai legal limits, an official said. Chamlong Polseu, 65, who was once a popular spiritual leader to many politicians, was convicted of raping and molesting more than 10 hilltribe girls under the age of 15, a court official said on condition of anonymity. Chamlong’s conviction is the latest embarrassment for Thailand’s Buddhist clergy, plagued by scandals ranging from sex and alcohol abuse to murder. Chamlong, also known by his clerical name Pawana Phuttho, committed his crimes in the early 1990s when he was the abbot of Wat Sam Pran temple in Nakhon Pathom province, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Bangkok. The meditation guru was arrested in 1995 after hilltribe girls housed in a dormitory he had established in the temple came forward with the accusations. He was defrocked soon after. Six of his followers, all women, were also given prison sentences from three to 10 years for conspiring with Chamlong, according to the website of Krungthep Turakij, a Thai business newspaper. The court official could not immediately confirm the convictions. Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, has approximately 500,000 monks who are required to live modestly and remain celibate. Physical contact with women is strictly forbidden. They are required to lead a luxury-free life and must survive on alms to attain enlightenment. However, many temples are awash with cash from donations. In one of the worst cases of misconduct and corruption in the clergy, another famous monk, Dhamachayo, was convicted of embezzling 96.8 million baht (US $ 2 million) from his temple near Bangkok. Dhamachayo, who is alleged to have used the money to buy jewelry and finance private trips abroad, is fighting his conviction. Thai media has in recent years exposed monks having sex, drinking alcohol and frequenting karaoke bars. Others have been convicted of rape, murder and financial wrongdoing.