A monk was defrocked after being found sleeping in a hammock and ordering beer to drink. Local authorities found him in a bushy area; he claimed he only ordered beer to relieve loneliness and complained about the delivery rider, who had tipped well but still filmed him. A urine test showed purple-colored urine.
On 26 May 2026, reports emerged after Kanchan News posted a video of a man dressed like a monk relaxing in a hammock in the middle of a forest, with a bag containing beer bottles on the ground. The person filming called him "Venerable" and asked if he was drinking beer. The man said he was about to defrock and then told the delivery rider filming to leave the area.
After the video was widely shared, public criticism arose about the inappropriateness of a monk ordering beer if he was truly ordained. Calls were made for relevant authorities to urgently investigate the matter.
Initial checks revealed the bushy area in the video is in Village 10, Pak Phraek Subdistrict, Mueang District, Kanchanaburi Province. Mr. Somboon Paensomboon, District Chief of Mueang Kanchanaburi, ordered Lieutenant Thanayut Phinitmontri, security officer of the district, to lead local administrative officers in cooperation with the Village Headman of Village 10 and assistant village heads to inspect the area, which required a 200-meter walk from the roadside.
They found traces of a campfire, along with foil and methamphetamine use equipment scattered on the ground. They then located Monk Nuntapon, 50, who appeared in the video, and took him into custody for initial questioning.
Monk Nuntapon admitted he was the man in the video. He said he originally came from Kanchanaburi but had been ordained and resided at a temple in Phuket for about eight years. Feeling homesick, he returned to Kanchanaburi and stayed in this bushy area on his mother's relatives' land for about a week.
Regarding the video incident, he said he called a delivery rider to bring beer and ice but did not expect the rider to film and upload the clip, despite having tipped him well. He ordered six bottles of beer to drink to relieve loneliness while alone in the forest, drinking about three bottles before authorities found him.
He was willing to defrock. When asked about the drug paraphernalia found, he denied drug use. Authorities then took him to the Sangha disciplinary monk at Devasangharam Royal Monastery to defrock him. A urine test showed purple urine, prompting him to admit using methamphetamine. He said he bought 10 methamphetamine pills from a former friend for 100 baht each but had used them all. Authorities took him into custody and sent him to Mueang Kanchanaburi Police Station for legal proceedings.