Shi Yongxin.

Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Yongxin, at the center of a "former monk's" allegations about his behavior, canceled an appearance at an event in Thailand at the weekend.

The 50-year-old abbot was expected at the weeklong "Shaolin Culture on Silk Road" event but sent a letter of apology saying he had to deal with "unexpected official duties," according to Chinese news portal www.sina.com.cn.

Qian Daliang, general manager of the temple's Shaolin Intangible Assets Management Co Ltd, said the abbot was staying at the temple because of an investigation by the Dengfeng religious affairs bureau in central China's Henan Province, The Beijing News said.

"There was a rumor that he was fleeing. He has to find out the truth," the newspaper quoted Qian as saying.

Huang Cheng, manager of Thai Young Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said organizers were told on Saturday that the abbot would not be coming. At a Shaolin kung fu show yesterday there were no photographs or videos of Shi on display, China News Service reported.

A week ago, Shi Zhengyi, who claims to be a former Shaolin monk, alleged that the abbot had faked ID, kept lovers, had children and pocketed temple assets.

He claimed the abbot had been kicked out of Shaolin due to misconduct that included plundering cultural relics and organizing a mafia-type gang in the late 1980s.

But Shi Yongxin had managed to attain the status of abbot illegally, and since then had fooled around with several women, he alleged.

Shi Zhengyi's allegations included raping a nun in 1988, sleeping with a woman called Guan Lili in 1990, with whom he is said to have had a daughter, and committing adultery with a woman who aborted their child in 2000.

He is also accused of living with nunnery head Shi Yanjie as a couple and having a daughter, now 6, with her.

He is alleged to have made each of them a fake ID in his hometown in Anhui Province's Yingshang County. He allegedly helped the woman illegally become a shareholder in a Shaolin company.

When the accusations surfaced, the temple dismissed them as "vicious slander."

An investigation is believed to have been launched by local police but there are no reports of any further developments.

The abbot is a deputy to China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress.

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