About 500 villagers from two communes in Battambang province’s Banan district yesterday prevented police  defrocking a monk accused of stealing money from the pagoda box, villagers told the Post. Villager representative San Sobin said the Banan police chief had accused the monk, Koeun Ravy, of stealing about 500,000 riel and came with orders to defrock him. Koeun Ravy, 34, denied the allegations, saying: “I have never kept that money for myself.” Buth Sambo, the police chief of Banan district, said police had been following orders from the chief provincial monk.