Thailand is being rocked by a scandal involving betrayal, politics and religion. A video circulating globally shows the moment a 64-year-old man discovers his wife in bed with their adopted son. The incident occurred at his residence in Sukhothai, where he lifts the sheets to reveal his wife, Prapaporn Choeiwadkoh, 45, a Democratic Party politician, and monk Phra Maha, 24, who is his adopted son. Both are without clothes. As they try to get out of bed, the husband, known as Ti, shouts in outrage: “Are you two happy?”
According to information from Crescer magazine, Prapaporn tried to clarify the situation to the local press later, stating: “We were not having sex. Nothing happened, it’s not what it looks like in the video. He was having some problems, so we were just talking and then we were going to take a shower.”
Ti, who is a property developer, was suspicious of his wife and therefore decided to take a 5+ hour trip from Bangkok to Sukhothai to surprise her. He accuses the monk of seducing his wife. Ti reports that last year his wife expressed compassion for the monk and suggested they adopt him. “My wife has always been very religious. We even met at the local temple. But recently I noticed that she was spending more time with the young monks. I even saw her enter a monk’s hut when the curtains were closed. I knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. When she left I was suspicious, but she said she was praying. Regarding this boy, I think he tricked my wife and seduced her. She told me last year that she felt sorry for him, so we decided to adopt him as our own son. She wasn’t answering the phone and I got home early. I suspected something was wrong. I was very angry when I found them together, I felt very betrayed. I brought her gold and gave her many gifts”, he claims.
Democratic Party authorities have suspended Prapaporn, also known as “Madame Ple,” while the investigation is ongoing. She has been a member of the party since March 26 last year, but has been inactive since the general election in May. She did not hold any official position within the party.
Phra Maha would have abandoned monastic life and gone into hiding. In Thailand, Buddhist monks are not allowed to be alone in privacy with women. They also need to take an oath of celibacy to serve as an example to devotees.
