http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/08/24/nine-year-old-boy-dies-after-beating-by-buddhist-monk.html
A nine-year-old Buddhist novice has died after a beating by a Thai monk who allegedly battered him with a stick and slammed his head against a pillar, officials said Friday.
Monk Suphachai Suthiyano, 64, flew into a rage during a prayer session last weekend when the young disciple disrupted the ceremony with his "playful" behaviour.
The monk allegedly assaulted Wattanapol Sisawad with a bamboo stick at the temple in Kanchanaburi, two hours west of Bangkok, striking him on his back several times before bashing his head into a pillar.
The child fell into a coma and passed away late Thursday, a hospital worker at Kanchanaburi provincial hospital told AFP on Friday, requesting anonymity.
The incident comes as Thailand, a majority-Buddhist country, grapples with multiple other scandals among its clergy, including cases of extortion, sex and drug use.
The suspect, who was defrocked on Sunday following his arrest, was charged earlier this week with assault.
Police Captain Amnaj Chunbult said the charge will be revised to "assault resulting in death" once he receives official confirmation.
The boy's mother Sukunya Tunhim told Thai media in a taped phone call she "will not forgive him (the monk)".
An official from the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the National Police Office in Bangkok confirmed an autopsy had already taken place, and that the boy's relatives have reclaimed his body.
The Buddhist faith is bound with everyday life in Thailand, making it commonplace for most men, even children, to spend some time in a monastery as a novice.
Monks are virtually beyond reproach in the country's villages, but the ruling junta has taken a strong line against clergy who break the law.
Earlier this month, Thailand's infamous "jet-set monk" -- so-called after footage emerged of him carrying a Louis Vuitton bag on a private jet -- was sentenced to 114 years in prison for money-laundering and fraud.
In May the abbot of the popular "Golden Mount" temple in Bangkok surrendered to police after $4 million was found in bank accounts in his name.
The case came on the heels of an ongoing investigation into whether the National Office of Buddhism had misused millions of dollars under its control.
Authorities last year floated the idea of introducing digitised ID cards to better track monks with criminal convictions.
The former head of China's government-run Buddhist association is under criminal investigation for alleged sexual assault, the country's top religious authority said Thursday.
Xuecheng, a Communist Party member and abbot of Beijing's Longquan Monastery, is one of the most prominent figures to face accusations in China's growing #MeToo movement.
He stepped down earlier this month after a report by fellow monks accused him of sexual and financial improprieties.
In the 95-page report that circulated online late last month, two monks accused Xuecheng of sending explicit text messages to at least six women, threatening or cajoling them to have sex with him, claiming it was a part of their Buddhist studies.
The National Religious Affairs Authority said it had confirmed Xuecheng had sent "harassing messages", adding that authorities had begun a criminal investigation into the report's charges of sexual assault.
Investigators had also uncovered evidence that the Longquan Monastery had violated national financial regulations, it added in a statement on its web site.
Xuecheng, 51, stepped down at a meeting of the Buddhist Association of China earlier this month following the allegations.
The abbot is also a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a top advisory board.
A prominent personality in Chinese Buddhist life with a social media following of millions, Xuecheng's Weibo account has been silent since August 1, when he posted a statement rejecting allegations of sexual misconduct.
In their report, the two monks, who are no longer members of the monastery, said four women gave in to Xuecheng's demands.
One of the authors said on social media that he was compelled to speak out after the victims were ignored by authorities who said they could not investigate the matter.
There is no legal definition of sexual harassment in China and no national regulations on how to handle sexual assault cases in schools and workplaces.
The report and posts about it have been taken down or censored on social media.
Both men were also asked to leave the monastery after news of the report broke.
Located on the outskirts of Beijing, Longquan Monastery has made headlines for combining Buddhism with modern technology, launching last year a two-foot high robot monk that dispenses mantras and karmic advice.
The #MeToo movement ignited in China earlier this year with more women starting to open up about sexual assaults, especially on university campuses.
Unlike in the West, where #MeToo has forced resignations and sparked widespread public debate, authorities in China have sought to control the discussion, sometimes allowing and at other times censoring social media commentary.
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