The chief of Kork Khsach pagoda in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district has been fired from his position as of April 1 after an upwelling of condemnation over allegations that the ex-abbot, Choeng Engsour, had seriously beaten another monk, and ordered his brother to attack another.

“He now has become a simple monk and is staying at the Saravoan Pagoda in Phnom Penh,” said new acting pagoda chief Thong Samnang. Attendance at the pagoda had declined significantly during Engsour’s tenure, he added, a trend that has reversed since his ouster. Phloeung Chesh Rotesh village chief Neb Aun said that hundreds had called for Engsour’s dismissal.

“They have accused Venerable Choeng Engsour of being corrupt. He has used the pagoda’s money to buy luxury cars for his own use, as well as his family’s use,” he said.