Sex, drugs, money and murder in Thailand’s Monkhood | Foreign Correspondent

(PULSING MUSIC PLAYS) It's Songkran in sweltering Bangkok, the beginning of the Thai New Year and the biggest day on the Buddhist calendar. What does it mean in Buddhism? Happy. Money. Yeah, it's a Buddhist tradition, I think. Yeah. Are you Buddhist? Yes. The capital is consumed by a citywide water fight. For centuries, this day has been a chance for Buddhists to wash away the negativity and bad luck of the past. But lately, it's not just followers who need a clean start. In Thailand, constant scandals involving monks are threatening a crisis of faith. Wow. Look at that gold. Buddhism is a key pillar of Thai society, but it's a pillar at risk of crumbling under the weight of mounting scandals involving sex, drugs, money and even murder. Now, some are calling for serious reforms to protect both followers and the institution itself. I want to find out why one of the world's great religions is facing an existential threat. (BELLS DING) (BIRDSONG) It's early morning in the city of Nakhon Pathom, not far from Bangkok, and I'm about to go on patrol with the monk police. (BOTH GREET IN THAI) Luang Pi Namfon is the abbot, or head monk, at the Pai Lom temple. For 30 years, he's also been a member of the Monk Police, an arm of the Buddhist clergy that catches wayward monks and drags them into line. How often do you find monks doing the wrong thing? Sure enough, two monks are loitering at the market after the morning alms collection. They should be back at their temples by now. It may seem minor, but Luang Pi Namfon says it's a sign of discipline breaking down. He says this loss of discipline is causing much bigger problems too. One of the monks has been caught doing this before so he's being taken back to his own temple to face judgement. So it'll be up to the abbot now of that temple to decide what happens? In Thailand, monks are governed by the Supreme Sangha Council. There are many layers of administration, but it's up to local abbots to enforce discipline within their ranks. Each temple has its own system for punishing those who break the rules. He won't be stripped of his monk robes today. So it's just one warning and then he'll be disrobed? Back at his own temple, Luang Pi Namfon is hypervigilant, even drug testing his monks on a regular basis. He says Buddhism's problems can only be dealt with if abbots are willing to lay down the law with their monks. I'm heading south to a community where the monks well and truly went off the rails. They joined what feels like an ever-growing list of misconduct in the monkhood. The province of Chumphon is a patchwork of palm plantations. One old temple here has attracted generations of followers until its leaders failed them. Terdsak Pudwanna became the village chief here about six years ago. A few years into the role, his sleepy village was shaken to its core. Police raided the temple, and all four monks, including the abbot, tested positive for the highly addictive drug methamphetamine. So this is where the raid took place. It's obviously empty now but when police came, there were just dozens of bottles of urine. There was also a lot of meth, or yaba, as they call it here, and the pipes that the monks were using to smoke it as well. After their arrests, the monks were disrobed. People put a lot of faith in monks. Did the villagers here feel betrayed when they found out what had happened at this temple? Many villagers say they don't want to go back to the temple, despite their deep ties to it. Generations have been laid to rest here. Laduan remembers the day of the raid vividly. It was the day of her father's funeral. She had hoped to place her father's ashes there, but after the bust, she decided against it. Do you wish you could go back to that temple and visit the place that your ancestors are? (SOFT CHANTING) In the forest of Chaiyaphum in Thailand's north-east, the day starts before the night is even over. At this temple, Buddhism is practised the traditional way. (CHANTING CONTINUES) Phra Paisal Visalo is the temple's abbot. He runs a tight ship and a tough daily routine. So, it's not even 5:30 yet and the monks have already been awake since 3:00, they've been chanting since 4:00. But this is what monastic discipline looks like. At 6am, he leads a group of monks out to collect alms. Like all Buddhist monks, the rules they live by mean they're not allowed to work or use money, so they rely on donations from the community. PHRA: Their life depends on the generosity of the laypeople. If monks behave properly, they have no problem collecting food from villagers. In Buddhism, doing a good deed for a monk is a good way to earn merit. If you accumulate merit, it will enable you to have a happy life. To have a longer life, to be healthy. It's kind of a dependence on each other. Over four decades, Phra Paisal Visalo has become one of the most respected members of the Buddhist clergy and has dedicated himself to following the strict rules of the monkhood. At the top of the list are the five precepts which all Buddhists should follow - no killing, stealing, sex, lies or drugs and alcohol. But he's troubled by how many monks fail to uphold this moral code. That's a lot of scandal. In the past, monks leads the way for the laypeople. But now most monks do not lead the laypeople along the path of inner peace. They just follow the laypeople along the path of wealth and prosperity. The situation in Buddhism now, as far as the monks are concerned, is in crisis. So even while we've been out on the road filming this story - I just checked the local news - one of the top stories, another controversy about a monk, this time accepting a donated luxury BMW worth about a quarter of a million bucks. And honestly, since I moved here about a year ago, it feels like not a week goes by where there's not some kind of scandal involving the monkhood. A donated BMW is small change in the big business of Buddhism. Tucked away in the valleys of north-eastern Thailand, this temple was once raking in millions in cash, gold and jewels from wealthy donors. The temptation proved too much for its monks. Well, it's pretty quiet here today, but just a year ago, this place was swarming with dozens of cops who'd just made an incredible discovery and blown open one of the biggest cases of temple fraud in Thailand's history. It's centred on one of the country's most famous monks, Phra Khom, who'd developed a loyal following among the rich and famous. (SIREN WAILS) I've come to find out how police cracked the case. Lieutenant Colonel Parnumas Saengsong was a part of the team which raided the temple and brought down Phra Khom and six other monks. How did this case land on your desk? What started as a sex scandal quickly turned into something much bigger. Officers brought Phra Khom in for questioning. Then he made a rookie error. He called his monks from the police station and told them to hide the loot. They were caught red-handed, as pictures from the raid captured. So this was jewellery that people had donated, right? Wow. Look at that gold. Phra Khom has since been jailed for his part in embezzling a staggering $12 million AUD in temple funds. In downtown Bangkok, donations are flowing at this CBD shrine. Visitors are handing over cash for floral garlands to leave as an offering. Thailand's 43,000 temples raise an estimated $4 billion a year in donations, and the government chips in another $170 million to help support them. But keeping track of where all the money goes is near impossible. (MONKS CHANT) This sprawling park is home to the National Office of Buddhism, the government agency that's supposed to have oversight of Thailand's temple finances. Intaporn Jan-Iaem is the National Office of Buddhism's director. By law, temples are meant to open their books to his agency every year. When you look at what happened with Phra Khom, people might look at that and wonder how were they able to steal so much money if the National Office of Buddhism was thoroughly scrutinising their funds. He says his agency has limited powers to conduct its own investigations and that needs to change. What kind of power do you need to be able to take care of these problems? How do you explain why there are so many scandals within the monkhood? Some aren't waiting for the National Office of Buddhism to clean up Thailand's temples. (SPEAKS THAI) (SPEAKS THAI) Lieutenant Colonel Sayomphu has been a cop for over 20 years, but a Buddhist his whole life. Earlier this year, he was feeling burnt out so he did something most Thai men will do at least once in their lives. He ordained as a monk for a short time. But before he'd hung up his robes, his team got wind of a possible crime at a local temple. They came up with a plan for him to go undercover as a monk to bust open a drug ring. Sayomphu takes me to the temple where it all happened. Oh, so this is it here? So where did the arrests happen? In the end, two monks were arrested for using meth, as well as two dealers who'd sold it to them. Lieutenant Colonel Sayomphu has vowed to continue to try to weed out criminals hiding in temples. Buddhism is still a powerful institution in Thailand, and speaking out against it isn't easy. This mother, who we'll call Lek, no longer trusts the men at the top after what they did to her son. She wants to tell her story, but fears what could happen if she's identified. Releasing fish is a Buddhist tradition she hopes will restore her family's fortunes. At the age of eight, her son announced he wanted to ordain as a monk, but a boy's dream would turn into a nightmare. When he was 14, he was fully ordained and went on a study trip outside of Bangkok. Oh, wow. All down the arms. Late one night, he was beaten with a cane as punishment for using his phone. Lek only found out when a concerned stranger tracked down the family. She complained to senior monks and was shocked by their reaction. So did you feel like they cared more about protecting this monk rather than your own child? Lek was determined to press charges. The monks hired a lawyer to fight them. Eventually, she settled for about $4,000 AUD. It must be so hard when you send your child away and trust people to look after him and then something like this happens. It's such a huge betrayal of trust. She's still a devout Buddhist, but her faith in the institution has been shaken. Her son's faith remains as strong as ever, and even after what he endured, he remains dedicated to a life in the monkhood. (MONKS CHANT) The corrupt monk everywhere are not punished. Do you think the system protects monks who do the wrong thing? I would like to say that. It needs reform. A comprehensive reform. It is overdue. Yeah. But it is not...not too late. (MONKS CHANT) This is a religion of reincarnation, and even those who fear its demise have hope for its rebirth. I still have hope, but it takes time. There's some aspect of teaching that has been forgotten, especially the teaching about inner freedom, about the true happiness, the happiness that is beyond material happiness. I think that kind of teaching now has been forgotten. It should be restored. It should be emphasised. This is my key idea about the reform. Captions by Red Bee Media Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation