Temple corruption erodes public faith
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published : 28 Apr 2021 at 04:00
11 Senior monks from Wat Saket are summoned in 2018 to hear charges in connection with the temple fund embezzlement cases. Subsequently, five monks were disrobed and several given suspended jail terms. Bangkok Post photo
As corruption soars in predominantly Buddhist Thailand, its temples are also facing a serious erosion of public faith due to rife corruption in the closed, non-transparent clergy.
Thailand s latest ranking in Transparency International s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in 2020 continues to sink despite the government s promise to get tough on corruption.
Last year, Thailand miserably failed the test again, scoring only 30 out of 100. Of the 180 countries surveyed, Thailand ranked 104th, falling three places from 2019.