A woman whose name is withheld said that she and her family had prepared food to give to monks at a temple on the occasion of her birthday.

However at the temple she found a sign saying that the abbot is not in. So she gave alms to a monk who told her that most monks watched the World Cup matches and were too exhausted to wake up next morning.

When she was about to leave the temple, she saw the abbot and some other half awake monks stumbling from the residence where the sign declared that the abbot was not in.

Meanwhile Wallop Namwongprom, a member of monks' administration committee, said that it is not against the rules for monks to watch football. "But their viewing TV will be considered against the rules if it affects their morning activities," he said.

It would surely be considered a serious violation if they are involved in gambling.

"We would like to beg senior ones to act properly and warn their junior monks to refrain from any improper activities concerning the World Cup," he said.

Meanwhile Phra Kru Sophonkaweewat, deputy abbot of Jedee Lung Wiharn Temple in Chiang Mai, said that the temple has a school and a university for monks under its jurisdiction, attended by some 700 ordained students.

"We have issued strict regulations for the monk students during the World Cup 2006. We allow them to watch the matches but they are prohibited to watch all of them and engage in noisy cheering. And no gambling is allowed," he said.

If anyone violates the rules and the excessive TV viewing affects their studies, the maximum penalty is dismissal.

The Nation