Several women in Taoyuan have accused a Cambodian Buddhist monk of sexual assault and using religious teachings for profit.
Instead of remaining celibate and leading an ascetic lifestyle, the monk is married, has two children and lives in a luxury condominium, the women said.
Local Chinese-language media have reported that the man came to Taiwan more than 10 years ago and took on a Chinese moniker as Buddhist master Shih Ching-liang (釋精良) after attending the Yuan Kuang Buddhist College in Taoyuan for three years, during which he learned Chinese.
The victims are all Cambodians married to Taiwanese men.
The Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine and other news outlets have reported that some of the victims knew each other and realized that Shih had taken advantage of their religious belief to pressure or persuade them into having sex with him.
Shih allegedly took advantage of his self-professed monk status and Taiwan’s large segment of Buddhist followers, and had been receiving regular donations.
Shih also conducted sutra chanting sessions at many temples, for which he received about NT$6,000 each, and received higher payments for conducting dharma assemblies.
One of the victims, known as Siao Yun (小雲), said that when she first came to Taiwan she was feeling homesick and was working hard to make a living.
“Then my friend introduced me to this monk from Cambodia and he became my spiritual guide. I made regular donations, which I did not tell my husband. We became closer and he lured me into having sex during a private session, and we had sex many times after that,” she said.
Another Cambodian woman, known only as “Nana,” who is also married, said that she sat down at the temple in devotion and offered donations, then Shih came over and started to grope her thighs.
“I told him to stop and stood up, but he went around me and tried to touch my body, so I pushed him away and ran out,” she said.
Nana said that Buddhist monks have a very high status in Cambodia, as people venerate and support them with donations of food or money.
“However, in Cambodia, the monks live and practice teachings in temples, and they live in celibacy and lead an ascetic lifestyle. They are not supposed to have a wife and kids or live in luxury like Shih,” she said.
“Shih has sexually assaulted many women and he is definitely a fake monk. He is desecrating the Buddhist teachings and exploiting the religion for sex and financial gains. So we as victims have come together to request an investigation into this case,” she said, adding that least 10 women have come forward so far.
UNDER WATCH: Taiwan will have to establish a standardized nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus and monitor its spread, the CDC said The Langya henipavirus, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, has been discovered in China, with 35 human infections reported so far, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, adding that the nation would establish a nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus. A study titled “A Zoonotic Henipavirus in Febrile Patients in China” that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday said that a new henipavirus associated with a fever-causing human illness was identified in China. The study said an investigation identified 35 patients with acute infection of the Langya henipavirus in China’s Shandong
MISSILE PATHS: Certain information on the Chinese missile fire was not disclosed to maintain secrecy over military intelligence-gathering capabilities, the MND said Military experts yesterday speculated on the implication of the government’s tight-lipped response and the lack of air-raid sirens during the first day of China’s military drills the previous day. On Thursday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched 11 Dongfeng-series ballistic missiles into waters north, east and south of Taiwan, a day after US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s departure from the country, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. The Japanese Ministry of Defense said that China fired nine missiles toward Taiwan, including four that flew over Taiwan proper. However, China’s exhibition of force failed to terrorize the local populace, because
If any war were to break out between the US and China, one trigger might be the increasingly frequent fighter jet encounters near Taiwan. Almost every day, Taiwanese fighter pilots hop in their US-made F-16s to intercept Chinese warplanes screaming past their territory. The encounters probe the nation’s defenses and force the pilots on both sides to avoid mistakes that could lead to a crisis that spins out of control. “I didn’t know whether they would fire at me,” said retired colonel Mountain Wang, recounting a tense five-minute confrontation he had with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) jets more than a decade
INCREASINGLY EMBOLDENED: China can no longer be dismissed as inexperienced, demonstrating an ability to coordinate land and sea missile systems, an expert said Beijing’s largest-ever exercises around Taiwan have offered essential clues into its plans for a grueling blockade in the event of an attack on Taiwan, and revealed an increasingly emboldened Chinese military, experts said. The visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi — second in line to the presidency — sparked outrage from Beijing, which launched vast military maneuvers around the nation, even at the risk of partially exposing its plans to the US and its Asian allies. Mobilizing fighter planes, helicopters and warships, the drills aim to simulate a blockade of Taiwan and include practicing an “attack on
RSS