{
  "id": 12594559,
  "title": "Ex-Buddhist monk who founded Thai Aids hospice convicted of embezzlement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/ex-buddhist-monk-who-founded-thai-aids-hospice-convicted-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T09:25:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3370036/ex-buddhist-monk-who-founded-thai-aids-hospice-convicted-embezzlement"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A former Buddhist monk in Thailand, Alongkot Poonmook, was recently convicted of misusing donations to a hospice he founded for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS and received the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison. Co-defendant Seksan Sapsubbsakul, a fundraiser for the project, also pleaded guilty to multiple counts of embezzlement and money laundering. Both men were forced to leave their monkhoods following their arrest last year.\n\nThe Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases found Alongkot and Seksan guilty of misappropriating temple funds, which drew widespread attention after questions about the hospice's financial management surfaced online. The court sentenced Alongkot to a total of 742 years in prison, while Seksan received over 386 years. However, both sentences were automatically reduced to the legal maximum of 50 years.\n\nAlongkot Poonmook, formerly known as Phra Ratcha Wisutthiprachanat, established the hospice, Wat Phra Bat Namphu temple, in 1992 as a pioneering humanitarian project. However, the temple's relevance diminished after the development and distribution of antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment. The temple is renowned in Thailand, where the majority of the population follows Buddhism, but its reputation has been tarnished by the financial scandal. The men were also ordered to return over 300 million baht (approximately US$9 million) to the hospice.",
  "summary": "A former Buddhist monk in Thailand was convicted on Wednesday of misusing donations to a highly praised hospice he established for people with HIV/Aids and given the maximum term of 50 years in prison. Alongkot Poonmook, formerly known as Phra Ratcha Wisutthiprachanat, was forced to leave the monkhood after he was arrested last year along with an associate, Seksan Sapsubbsakul, who served as a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Bangkok Post",
        "title": "Aids hospice embezzlers sentenced to hundreds of years",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/aids-hospice-embezzlers-sentenced-to-hundreds-of-years",
        "published": "2026-10-07T07:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "A former Buddhist monk who founded a Thai AIDS hospice has been convicted of embezzlement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/a-former-buddhist-monk-who-founded-a-thai-aids-hospice-has-been",
        "published": "2026-10-07T08:34:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}