Monks walk past the Grand Palace in Bangkok. A system is now in place to prevent rogue monks or those disrobed because of criminal offences from returning to monastic life. (Bangkok Post file photo)

The Sangha Supreme Council on Wednesday said it has completed an upgrade of its database to prevent monks who have been disrobed because of misconduct or criminal offences from re-entering the monkhood.

The system would be developed further to link with the Royal Thai Police’s criminal database, Boonchert Kittithara, director of the secretariat of the SSC, said. 

In recent years there had been evidence of monks having been disrobed for committing a serious breach of monastic rules or being disrobed for other reasons being re-ordained in Buddhist temples in remote rural areas. 

The Phra Upatcha, who conducts ordinations, at these remote temples would approve the requests to enter the monkhood because they had no effective way of checking personal histories of the petitioners.  

The system would help the Phra Upatcha across the country, who have the final say in accepting or rejecting requests from men wishing to enter the monkhood, to better screen qualifications. 

Mr Boonchert urged the Phra Upatcha to contact the Office of Buddhism in their provinces and submit each prospective monk’s 13-digit ID card number. The record-screening would proceed immediately.

“We will develop a database system to include police criminal records so that we can screen criminal fugitives who want to hide behind monk’s robes,” Mr Boonchert said.