A Banteay Meanchey monk was defrocked on Friday for keeping what his elders believed to be questionable company.

Villagers tipped off police the novice had been hanging out in a rented room with a boy and a woman, so they brought along a top monk to investigate.

The young monk maintained the boy and woman were his siblings and he had been offering his brother English lessons.

The monastic authorities were unconvinced. The young monk was summarily defrocked, though his elder was too discreet to offer a reason.

Rasmei Kampuchea