Post published December 11th 2024.
On October 11th 2024, MTO received a formal complaint from a former MTO member coach. The complaint arose from actions that allegedly occurred during an MTO Coaching Course (“Course”) that took place October 20th – 22nd 2023. Many members may remember this as the three-day Seminar partly hosted by Thai legends Kru Samart and Ajahn Chalee.
MTO confirmed receipt of the formal complaint, and ensured to the Complainant that all allegations are taken seriously and addressed. MTO then took action to collect information about the allegations. This communication is a summary of MTO’s findings.
The Complainant alleged that during the Course, they were verbally abused and physically assaulted by an MTO Board member in full view of the Course’s attendees. When MTO asked the Complainant to provide further details about what specific statements and actions formed the basis of the complaint, the Complainant refused to provide any further details.
The Repondant MTO Board member denied verbally abusing or physically assaulting the Complainant. The Respondent also provided five witness statements from individuals who were confirmed to be in attendance during the Course, all stating that they did not witness any misconduct by the Respondent during the Course.
MTO’s Harassment Officer also sent a mass email to the Course’s attendees. Without disclosing the identities of the Complainant or Respondent, the email asked attendees whether they witnessed any verbal statements or physical conduct by any MTO Board Member during the Course that they felt could amount to verbal abuse, physical assault, or any kind of misconduct. Thirteen attendees responded (including two attendees that also provided statements to the Respondent). All responding attendees said they saw no misconduct during the Course, and many reaffirmed that they thought the Course was beneficial for them and the MTO community.
Overall, from the five statements from the Respondent’s witness list, and eleven additional statements responding to MTO’s email, there were sixteen witnesses who did not see any harassment, and zero witnesses saying otherwise.
MTO’s Harassment Officer provided a Report to the MTO Board on December 7th 2024 with their recommendations, as well as all documentation provided by the Complainant and Respondent. Based on the documentation provided, the Harassment Officer recommended that no further action be taken for this Complaint for two reasons: (1) the Complainant failed to provide sufficient details about the alleged incident to make a foundational case for harassment, and (2) while the harassment was alleged to have occurred in full view of the Course’s attendees, no witnesses substantiated the allegation.
The MTO Board, having read the Harassment Officer’s Report, including all documentation provided by the Complainant and Respondent, voted in agreement to take no further action in this matter because the complaint is unfounded. This matter is now closed.
MTO remains dedicated to providing an environment where all participants are treated equally with respect and dignity free from discrimination, and discourages all forms of harassment within the MTO community.
