BANGKOK -- For devout Buddhists in Thailand, the images were unsettling: a burly monk grabbing a soldier in a headlock while other saffron-robed clergy scuffled with troopers in what one Thailand-based columnist called "an unholy mess." What made the events even more troubling was the man at the center of the protest: an aged abbot seeking the country's highest Buddhist office despite being investigated for a tax evasion scam and linked to a controversial religious sect.
Unfortunately, Thais, 90% of whom are Buddhists, have become accustomed to hearing unsavory reports involving monks, including sex scandals, gross materialism and criminal activities, as well as criticism of the Sangha Supreme Council -- the governing body -- as a conclave of old men out of touch with modern society and unable or unwilling to undertake needed reforms.
