Brothers decline to complain about biting chief monk

Sep 17, 2009, 8:26 GMT

   Phnom Penh - Monks at a leading pagoda in southern Cambodia have decided not to file a complaint against their chief monk after accusing him of attacking and biting them last weekend, local media reported.

   Monks at Wat Leu in Preah Sihanouk province said head monk Kiet Chan Thouch had attacked them in a drunken tirade.

   One monk at the temple told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper that he feared for his safety if he complained.

   '[The chief monk] regards himself as king of monks in this province, and he is not afraid of authority,' said clergyman Mao Sam Oeun. 'If I complain, I will die.'

   The assault allegations were backed up by another monk at the temple, 76-year-old Koa Suon, who said Kiet Chan Thouch bit and threatened him. But he too refused to complain, saying the principles of monkhood preclude anger at others.

   The chief monk declined to comment when asked by the newspaper about the accusations, saying only that he did not want 'to be vindictive.'

   A provincial official at the Ministry of Religion told the newspaper that the chief monk had denied the allegations. The official said he was now waiting for the victims to file a formal complaint.

   'If they do not complain, we don't know what we can do because we have [investigated] and cannot find any evidence,' the official said.