Thai Buddhist temple empty after monks fail drug test

A Buddhist temple in central Thailand was left without monks after all of its saints failed drug tests and were defrocked, according to a local official.
Four monks, including the abbot of a temple in Bung Sam Phan district, Phetchabun province, tested positive for methamphetamine on Monday, Bunlert Thintaptai district official said Tuesday.
The monks were sent to a drug rehabilitation clinic, the official said.

“There are no monks in the temple right now and nearby villagers are worried that they cannot perform any merit,” he said.

The merit lies in the fact that the parishioners donate food to the monks as a good deed.
Mr Bunlert said more monks would be sent to the temple so that the villagers could practice their religious duties.
Thailand is the main transit country for methamphetamine coming from Myanmar’s troubled Shan State via Laos, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
On the street, tablets sell for less than 20 baht (about $0.85).

Authorities across Southeast Asia have recorded methamphetamine seizures in recent years.