Economics

Thailand’s Downturn Means Even the Monks Are Going Hungry

Monks see alms shrink as worshippers stay home in lockdown
Temples struggle to collect food, funds in state of emergency

Buddhist monks at the Talat Thai wholesale market in Pathum Thani, Thailand, on April 14.Photographer: Luke Duggleby/Bloomberg

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By Randy Thanthong-Knight and Lee J Miller

April 22, 2020 at 9:00 PM UTC

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Thailand’s cherished Buddhist tradition of giving alms to monks is becoming yet another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many of them without enough food.