BANGKOK, July 18: A Thai woman was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly recording herself engaging in sexual acts with Buddhist monks and using the footage to blackmail them for millions of pounds.

Wilawan Emsawat, 35, known by the nickname "Sika Golf," is accused of having illicit relationships with 13 monks, as well as being involved in money laundering and the possession of stolen property.

Emsawat reportedly extorted nearly £9 million by leveraging explicit videos and images of her encounters with senior members of the clergy.

According to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), which was cited by local Thai media, five mobile devices belonging to Emsawat contained clips and photos showing her engaged in sexual acts with several monks, some of whom were still wearing their traditional orange robes.

So far, nine of the thirteen monks implicated have been disrobed, and authorities expect the number of individuals involved to increase.

A committee in Thailand's senate has proposed making sexual relations with monks a criminal offense. However, the suggestion has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that men should be held accountable for their own actions.

“This scandal exposes a system of lies and hypocrisy among senior monks,” wrote Sanitsuda Ekachai, a columnist for the Bangkok Post. “Women have long been portrayed in mainstream teachings as threats to monks’ spiritual purity. And now, when the clergy’s moral decay is exposed, it is the woman who takes the fall while the monks are cast as victims.”

The controversy erupted after Phra Thep Wachirapamok—widely known as Arch—the highly respected abbot of Bangkok’s Wat Tri Thotsathep Worawihan temple, abruptly renounced his monkhood and fled to Laos in June.

It was later revealed that the 53-year-old monk had allegedly been in a secret relationship with Wilawan, who claimed to be pregnant and demanded £179,000 from him. When he refused to pay, she reportedly exposed the affair to other monks, prompting him to leave the country in disgrace.

Since police confiscated Wilawan's phones, several monks have admitted to having longstanding affairs with her—violations of their sacred vow of celibacy. All involved are expected to be officially disrobed under Buddhist monastic rules.

One monk has even admitted that Wilawan gifted him a car during their secret affair. However, their relationship soured after he discovered she was also involved with another monk. When he confronted her, she allegedly began to blackmail him for money.

Investigators from the CIB believe the scandal goes far beyond moral misconduct and may involve large-scale financial corruption. Records from Wilawan’s bank accounts reportedly show transactions totaling £8.8 million over the past three years. Authorities suspect a significant portion of that money came from temple funds.

Wilawan is also accused of spending large sums on illegal online gambling platforms.

Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew, who is leading the investigation, said his team is carefully reviewing the video evidence to identify violations of monastic chastity.

“Anyone who breaks the monastic code must be disrobed,” he stated firmly. “We aim to restore public trust in Buddhism. Human weakness exists, but it must not be ignored.”

The scandal has rocked Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist nation where monks are expected to lead lives of purity and humility. Critics argue, however, that the religious institution has strayed from its foundational principles.

“Monks must ask themselves: Why did they enter monkhood? Was it for spiritual growth—or to climb the social ladder and gain wealth and power through the saffron robe?” Ekachai wrote. “This is structural rot, rooted in a clergy that enforces strict control but lacks discipline. It is the bitter outcome of a system that has drifted far from the Buddha’s path.”

The case has sent shockwaves through the Buddhist world and raised urgent questions about transparency, discipline, and the growing moral cracks within Thailand’s religious leadership.