Monk accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old girl playing in monastery compound

A monk from Magwe Region has been accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl, according to local police.

The 30-year-old, who was acting chief monk in Aung Lan township’s Kyauk Sel village, allegedly assaulted the girl after asking her to buy him a cell phone top-up.

Police told 7Day that the head monks in the township had been informed and legal action could be taken once he has been defrocked. Buddhist customs forbid officers from arresting a monk in robes.

“We have to continue the process after those monks decide to transform him into an ordinary human,” an unnamed officer said.

The girl had reportedly been playing in the monastery compound when the acting chief monk approached her.

“Her mother asked her and found this out as she was crying on the way back [home],” a community leader said. “A complaint was filed as we don’t want this to happen again.”