A MONK who caused social media commotion by uploading photos depicting his death on Facebook, was relieved of his duties yesterday.
According to a statement by the Municipal Monk Committee, Kakada Sophorn (pix) stayed at the Saravon Techo pagoda in Daun Penh district.
It said the photos he uploaded caused Mr Sophorn to be summoned by the committee.
“As a result, Kakada Sophorn agreed to be defrocked (dismissed) in front of the monk leader,” it said. “The photos he posted caused confusion among the public and they affected the religion. Please know this information.”
Sophorn said he signed a contract agreeing to being defrocked.
“In order to solve the problem, I agreed to leave the monkhood in front of the monk committee,” he said, adding that he was first told to stop posting photos depicting his death in February and that he failed to comply with the order.
In a recent video, Mr Sophorn apologised to the public for the photos.
“I am sorry, I will not post any photos about religion that confuses and causes panic among the public,” he said. “I recognise my mistake, which has affected the public’s feelings and religion.”
According to one Facebook user, Mr Sophorn’s behaviour was not in line with Buddhist ideology because he donned modern clothing and used brand named goods.
“If the monk wants to live like a normal person, he should become a normal person because some activities were banned by Buddhism,” the user said. — KHMERTIMES
