Monk Arrested for Killing Nun

Written by DAP NEWS -- Tuesday, 27 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

A Banteay Meanchey province Buddhist nun was killed after fighting with a monk living in Phnom Prasat pagoda, Banteay Meanchey Provincial Police Chief said on Monday.

A case of the killing the nun at the pagoda in Ou Prasat commune, Mokul Borey grew out of a small conflict between the monk and the nun. The victim protested and reprimanded the monk, at which time he became very angry and beat her with a piece of wood until she died, Hun Han told DAP News Cambodia.

“Our officers arrested this monk as soon as he finished killing the nun and we sent him to court,” the Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief said.

This accused monk had previously lived a long time in normal life. But constant fights with his wife resulted in a divorce, Hun Han said. The man had also been previously ordained twice in Battambong province.

This is the first known case of a monk killing a nun in Cambodia. Monks have increasingly been caught drinking alcohol, smoking, taking drugs, and raping and fraternizing with women, but killing marks a new low. Monks across the whole country have expressed extreme surprise and dismay. Hun Han said that the accused monk was “so very bad,” adding that “he never changed his attitude.”

The monk tried to reconcile with his wife when he returned from the first pagoda in Battambong province, but his wife declined, so he decided to be ordained as a monk in the Banteay Meanchey province pagoda, Han added.