AFP extension
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A Buddhist temple in Thailand’s northern province of Phetchabun is without monks after a drug test found all four monks at the temple had methamphetamines in their blood.
The check on the four was part of a series of drug tests in the area by the police, reports the Thai newspaper Khao Sod. Four monks are also said to have tested positive at other temples in the area. It was not disclosed why the police officers checked these temples.
The monks were sent to a clinic for a drug rehabilitation programme, a local politician told AFP news agency. Visitors to the temple, which is now without monks, are very worried, reports the Thai newspaper. For example, they can no longer offer food to monks, which is an important part of the Buddhist faith. Even religious ceremonies cannot be celebrated. The monks also cared for stray animals in the temple.
Local politicians enlisted the help of a senior cleric to appoint a temporary replacement.
Methamphetamine is a big problem in Thailand
Methamphetamine, also known as meth, is a big problem in Thailand. Much of the drug enters the country through Laos and the largest meth producer, Myanmar, among others. Some of it goes to other countries, but it’s also widely used in Thailand, despite strict drug rules.
The vast majority of people hospitalized for drug problems in Thailand are related to methamphetamine, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. This is partly due to the cheap price of the drug. One pill costs about 0.50 cents.
Last month Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced a tougher approach to drugs. The immediate cause was the shooting involving a former police officer killed 37 people, many of them children, in a kindergarten in the north-east of the country. The man was fired for possession and use of methamphetamines.
