Nuns by day, hookers by night

"I've been searching for the daughter of the devil himself
I've been searching for an angel in white
I've been waiting for a woman who's a little of both..."

So begins a classic song (One of these nights) by the Eagles. According to the song every man is looking for a woman who can be a devil at night and an angel by day. Freud referred to this desire by men to have a pure yet sensual partner as the "Madonna-whore" complex.

It seems that this fantasy may now be fulfilled on the streets of Bangkok. Leaders of the Buddhist community in Thailand are taking action against women who disguise themselves
as Buddhist nuns to solicit donations during the day and work as prostitutes at night.

The shocking revelation was made at Monday’s monthly meeting of monastic leaders and abbots in Bangkok. A senior nun denounced these women as "fake nuns" and called for immediate action.

Police in Bangkok's Bang Sue district along with officials from the Office of National Buddhism are trying to identify the women. Investigators are looking to get information from street sweepers and garbage collectors to locate the hiding places of these women who solicit money to finance their alcohol and drug habits.

There are 20,000 legally ordained nuns in Thailand. The hope is that the phony nuns can be stopped to avoid staining the reputation of the genuine practitioners.

The problem is not limited to female nuns. Fake monks have also been investigated soliciting donations in Bangkok. In March 2005 police arrested 19 fake monks near Bangkok who dressed in the traditional orange robes to beg fro food and money. The men are farmers who travel to Bangkok during the off-harvest season. Some Thai men have traveled as far as Singapore to make money as fake monks. Recently phony monks were barred from entering Singapore after complaints from both Thai and Singaporean Buddhists.

It seems that TV evangelists aren't the only ones trying to make money from religion. In Thailand thousands of people faithfully give donations to monks and temples, often rising at 5 in the morning to feed the monks breakfast. Authorities hope to stamp out the phony monks and nuns before the reputation of all practicing Buddhists is put in danger.