Arrest of a monk who sexually abused a novice monk in a famous temple in the middle of Bangkok before moving to a temple in Nakhon Sawan Province. Police revealed that he committed the act with the young novice monk more than 100 times over more than 10 years. Anti-human trafficking police used a warrant from the Criminal Court to search the monk's quarters at Wat Phutthamongkhon Nimit in Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, and showed the arrest warrant for Phra Khru Palat Pramet, 32, on five charges. When they arrived at the temple, the monk refused to open the door, and it took officers more than 20 minutes to make the arrest. They found an 11-year-old boy inside the room. The search found that the former abbot's quarters had been repurposed as his own residence and had been decorated lavishly. More than 20 security cameras were found around the monk's quarters, and vehicles entering and exiting were monitored. Security cameras were also installed in several of the monk's quarters. They also found computer gamin g consoles and gaming streaming chairs, which were believed to have been used to lure the monks. Pol. Col. Sarut Khawengsopa, Commander of the Crime Suppression Division, revealed that this case was a result of receiving a complaint that Phra Khru Palat Pramet had sexually abused novices. Therefore, an investigation into the facts was conducted, and it was discovered that between October 2016 and July 2018, Phra Khru Palat had sexually abused five novices aged 11-12 under his care while they were still ordained at a temple in Bangkok. The victims all gave consistent statements that Phra Khru Palat would often call the novices through the loudspeaker and CCTV cameras installed in their bedrooms to come to Phra Khru Palat's room to recite prayers. He would then lure the victims in various ways, such as having them massage his arms and legs. When the opportunity arose, he would sexually abuse them until they reached orgasm. Some victims were continuously abused almost every week for years. In addition, all vict ims who were sexually abused were threatened by Phra Khru Palat Pramet not to tell their parents or other monks. Later, it was found that Phrakhru Palat Pramet had been a temple boy in Pak Nam Pho Subdistrict since 2020, so a plan was made to keep watch until Phrakhru Palat Pramet was found at the said kuti. The officers revealed themselves and arrested him. In addition, Phrakhru Palat Pramet did not follow the duties of a monk and did not go out to collect alms. The testimonies of the victims ranged in age, with the youngest being 11 years old. Some were repeatedly abused for 10 years, from the beginning of 2016 to 2018, totaling hundreds of times. Therefore, it is believed that the abuse occurred almost every week. Some children have already informed their parents, but no one believes them. They felt so depressed that they even cried while giving their information. Initially, Phra Khru Palat Pramet denied the accusation, claiming that he was being bullied because he is a strict monk, which may have caused people to be dissatisfied and complain. Tomorrow (August 2), the police will take him to the Criminal Court for detention. From checking the history of this monk, it was found that he had previously rented out sacred objects to earn money for spending. Source: Thai News Agency