Thai monk suspended from duties after he & woman allegedly did things with cucumber over video call

An abbot of a Buddhist temple in east Thailand was suspended from his duties after a video was leaked of him engaging in mutual masturbation with a woman over a video call.

The abbot subsequently claimed to the police that the woman had deceived him and blackmailed him with the clip, demanding at least 250,000 baht (S$9,891) to keep it secret, according to Thai media.

Seen engaged in activities with woman over video call

On Feb. 24, more than 200 villagers gathered at a temple in Ban Chang district in Thailand's Rayong province in protest over the abbot's actions, according to Thai broadcaster Channel 7 News.

This came after Buddhist authorities had issued a letter announcing that the temple abbot had been suspended from his duties over his behaviour in a clip circulated on social media.

The clip reportedly showed a bespectacled man in monk robes pleasuring himself and making moaning sounds.

A woman was seen in the video pleasuring herself with a large cucumber at the same time.

The clip was over a minute long, and appeared to have been filmed during a video call.

Claimed he was blackmailed by syndicate

The district and sub-district's abbots told villagers that an investigation was conducted after a member of the public sent the clip to Thailand's Office of Buddhism, Khaosod reported.

They said the abbot who was suspended from duty confessed that he was the one in the video and admitted he "made a mistake".

The abbot later filed a complaint at Ban Chang police station, and claimed that he was "deceived" by the woman whom he believes was working for a syndicate.

He also accused the woman of video-calling him and recording the video, before threatening to release it to the public if he did not pay her 50,000 baht (S$1,978).

The abbot said he paid the initial sum, but when the woman asked for another 200,000 baht (S$7,913), he refused to pay up, and she made good on her threat.

Villagers ask for more severe punishment

Villagers have since called for the abbot to be barred from returning to the temple, demoted from his rank or asked to leave the monkhood.

A 64-year-old local woman, Railai, said in an interview with broadcaster Amarin TV:

“I feel somewhat relieved that the truth is coming out but there’s no way we can have him back at the temple. The community would be up in arms if he tried.”

The district abbot said the provincial abbot would decide on the disgraced monk's punishment after collecting evidence and investigating the facts thoroughly.

Top image from Khaosod/Canva