Cambodian monks banned from sexy water festival
Spoilsport authorities in Cambodia have banned the country's Buddhist monks from taking part in a water festival later this month because they don't want them mingling with scantily-clad women and kissing couples.
During the Boat Racing Festival between November 20 and 22, monks will have to stay at home and watch the event on TV.
The ban comes after monks went a little party-loopy last year and filmed all sorts of debauched fun on their mobile phones. Mobile phones that they weren't meant to have in the first place, as 85-year-old chief patriarch Non Gneth explained.
"If the monks walk freely, they will see women wearing sexy clothes or see people kissing. This violates their discipline," he said. He added some younger monks carried mobile phones equipped with cameras at last year's festival and took pictures of people dancing, drinking alcohol and kissing - all of which are not allowed, including the possession of mobile phones.
Buddhist monks are traditionally to be celibate, avoid alcohol and material possessions, and never be alone with a woman or touch her.
To ensure all bad behaviour is avoided, a committee has been set up to monitor monks for wayward actions. Any monk seen mingling with a woman will be reprimanded and sent for a re-education class before they're allowed to return to their temples.
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