Thread: The Asian ghost issue

Why are they so afraid of ghosts?

The sisters of my fiancee have to sleep with the light on and can't go downstairs. Al the family have tin pots with a lid which they sit on and fill with their wees.

Sandra says she is visited in her dreams by an Englishman called Mike who is very unhappy and who did something bad in the same year Robocop came out.

My skin really went cold when she asked me whereabouts Hungerford is in the UK.

Originally Posted by mrsquirrel

You are prolific aren't you.

Oh come on, you know what to expect when you click on the link that says The Gentleman Scamp - it's not like there's nowhere else you can go. If it stinks, don't follow it.

Jesus! Some bitter bastards about aren't there, just plain nasty people. I am used to this type of villification but it never ceases to amaze me.

Have you ever, EVER, known me to be unpleasant or abusive to anyone on here or TV? banter yes, but I am harmless, just a twat who likes to entertain when he has the time to do it - don't get irritated or take it too seriously.

A short guide to ghosts and ghoulies in the LOS (apologies for being almost on topic):

"PHI TON MAI" means "ghosts that reside in trees". All over Thailand you can see trees wrapped in cloth. This means that a spirit inhabits the tree. The tree may not be cut without warning the spirit in order to let him find another tree. There is often a certain spirit associated to a certain type of tree, "NANG MAI" is a female banananannna-tree(?) inhabiting spirit. To protect forests against logging, some monks ordain trees and wrap them up with a thin orange cloth. These trees are then sacred. For Buddhists it is now impossible to harm the trees. Sometimes people will pay another monk to defrock the trees so they can be logged.

"MO PHI" are Spirit Doctors. Spirit doctors help people to gain the love of a desired mate, to get rid of ghosts, to know the future, or to get rid of curses. These spirit doctors can be ordinary people who have spiritual power ("PALANG CHIT") or they can be monks although this is disapproved of by the Sangha. There is a major meeting of Spirit Doctors each September in Phuket during the Vegetarian festival. Many pierce their bodies with sharp objects or walk on fire. They feel no pain which shows the power of the spirit that inhabits their body.

"KUMAN THONG" is a baby spirit.The first story related to "KUMAN THONG" can be found in the Thai book "KHUN PAEN KHUN CHANG" (A major source of knowledge of Thai Magic and Spirits, well worth reading). The way to get a "KUMAN THONG" is pretty nasty: one must get a dead fetus and burn it in order to obtain a shrunken body. Balck magic spells are then chanted over the body. The "KUMAN THONG" spirit is supposed to warn and protect his owner in case of danger. The owner must also feed and protect it. Nowadays "KUMAN THONG" are made of other substances. They are usually in the form of a child with a top knot, the child holding a bag of gold, you often see these in shops. If the owner doesn't take care of his "KUMAN THONG", power disappears from the statue and the spirit will leave.

"PHI POP" is an evil spirit.These ghosts are powerful and fearful. If they succeed in possessing someone they will eat his intestines. One way to get rid of them is to call a "doctor" dancer. This spirit doctor chases the "PHI POP" by dancing a "whirlpool" dance. When watching the dance, the "PHI POP" enters the whirlpool and is chased from the body.

The "PHI AM" is spirit which sleeps on a persons chest. When somebody has difficulty breathing Thai people say that a "PHI AM" spirit is sleeping on his chest.

The "PHI KRASEU" spirit is thoroughly evil and often represented as a womans head with intestines dangling below it. This is probably the Thai ghost best known outside Thailand.

"PHI TAI HONG" are the most vengeful ghosts.These spirits died a violent death ( murder, car crash). The suddeness of their death keeps them earthbound, many people believe that the sprits of uncremated Tsunami victims are in this group. The most powerful of all is "PHI TAI HONG TONG KLOM", the spirit of a pregnant woman. This ghost is more powerful because it has the power of two people. Popular ghost stories are often based on women already pregnant and abandoned by their husband or boyfriend. After committing suicide the ghosts of these women wander the land looking for their men.

At night Thai temples become "evil" places. Monks sleep in their houses and Ghosts and spirits are reputed to wander around the cemetery. Some spirit doctors use the oil of buried corpses, called "NAM MAN PRAI" to make the most potent love potions. Every corpse must be cremated and not buried. When the body is cremated, the soul leaves and peacefully awaits its next incarnation. If buried, it stays on earth as a spirit and causes harm to anyone it can reach. In 1998, a large-scale cremation was organized to burn many unclaimed corpses. If they had not been burned their ghosts would have walked the earth. This is why many Thai people avoid the Tsunami-struck areas at night time.

Most Thai people are genuinely afraid of these ghosts and spirits and belief in their exsistence is widespread.


(Not original to me, but I rewrote it a little and tidied up the English. DrB)