Overview

• Wilawan Emsawat was arrested on July 15 in Nonthaburi and now faces charges of extortion, money laundering and receiving stolen property
• Authorities reported seizing over 80,000 intimate photos and videos used to blackmail monks and tracing roughly 385 million baht in illicit transfers
• At least 11 senior monks implicated in the scandal have been stripped of their robes as part of accelerated disciplinary measures
• King Maha Vajiralongkorn revoked invitations for dozens of monks to his upcoming celebrations, citing damage to public confidence
• The National Office of Buddhism opened a police probe in response to growing calls for tighter oversight of temple finances and reforms to monastic conduct