The monk was so corrupt and involved in murders that the government couldn't bear to send 200 policemen to arrest him

In the early morning of the 24th, about 200 Thai police raided a number of temples in the country and arrested a number of "senior monks" who were allegedly suspected of encroaching on temple assets.

The arrestees included members of the Sangha Supreme Council, the governing body of Thailand's Buddhist community, and Isara, a 62-year-old prominent political monk who participated in numerous protest demonstrations, on the grounds that he had been involved in robbery during the 2014 "Bangkok Lockdown" protests, according to Thailand's Bangkok Post. Reuters reported that in addition to robbery, Isara was charged with forging documents during protests and illegally detaining officials, among others. He has been formally stripped of his monastic status and thrown into prison awaiting trial.

Agence France-Presse said the famous Wat Saket became the epicenter of the corruption scandal, with police finding $4 million embezzled in the monks' bank accounts. Police took two men from Wat Saket for investigation and issued a warrant for another monk, who allegedly owned 10 bank accounts. In addition, the police also found the same problem in two other famous temples, where the cost of maintaining the temple and the activities of the monks was misappropriated.

Reuters said the police's Buddhist "cleanup" on the day was the largest crackdown on illegal financial transactions at temples this year and the latest by the Thai government to reform Buddhism in the country. Although more than 90 percent of Thailand's 69 million people are Buddhists, the image of Buddhism has been tarnished by some monks involved in money and sex scandals.

Thai temples are well-paid and receive large donations each year, but they are often embroiled in scandals including murder, sex, drugs, and underground money transactions. Under pressure from the junta, Thailand's monastic administration began last year to impose stricter disciplines on the country's more than 300,000 monks. In Thailand, taking action against monks was once considered taboo. But a series of scandals in recent years have forced authorities to rethink how they handle allegations against Buddhist leaders. ▲ (Wang Huicong)