Thailand: Land of smiles, land of ghosts

FROM exorcism ceremonies to spirit houses and amulets claiming to make wearers bullet-proof, Thailand is a culture soaked in superstition – an obsession critics say is holding the nation back.

On a popular episode of "Humans defy ghosts" – a weekly Thai TV programme that delves into the supernatural – a two-year-old girl who survived three days next to the dead body of her mother was asked a series of questions by one of the show's panellists.

"Who prepared your milk?" Kapol Thongplab enquired.

"Who played with you? Who opened the door?"

"Mummy," the little girl replied, as genuinely convinced as her adult interlocutors that her mother's ghost continued to sustain her in those harrowing days.

In Thailand, a show like this is more than just entertainment.

"In all countries, people believe in the afterlife," Kapol, one of Thailand's most famous ghost experts, tells AFP.

"Westerners may believe in Satan. In the nations of Southeast Asia, we believe in ghosts. This kind of belief helps people refrain from doing bad things. Mr A may think 'If I kill Mr B, he may become a ghost and come back to haunt me'."

The spirit world is everywhere in Thailand where animism and folk beliefs are deeply infused with Buddhism.
Most buildings boast a 'spirit house' – a shrine placed in an auspicious corner of a property where offerings can be made to appease ghosts lest they turn malevolent.

From time to time Thailand's notoriously fractious politics also draw on the occult.

Competing camps have openly used black magic curses against each other while protesters often deck themselves out in amulets that they believe make them impervious to bullets or harm.

Misplaced faith

But some Thais say they are fed up with what they describe as naive superstitions that lead their countrymen to make poor decisions or leave them vulnerable to exploitation.

AFP met one man, who wished to remain anonymous, leading an Internet campaign against Thai beliefs in ghosts.

The man, who goes by the pseudonym "F***Ghosts" and runs a popular Facebook page with the same name, recently caused uproar when he posted a photograph of himself stepping on a row of zebra figurines at a busy road junction in Bangkok known for fatal crashes.

Zebra statues are a common sight at accident spots due to the belief that their stripes – which remind people of pedestrian crossings – will fend off the unhappy ghosts of previous traffic victims that many believe cause new crashes.

"I thought about destroying them, but there is CCTV. I am afraid society would not accept it," he told AFP.
The man's main gripe – which has received significant support on his Facebook page – is that Thais would rather put their faith in statues and amulets than take concrete steps to reduce personal risk, such as driving more safely.

"These kind of beliefs keep Thailand an underdeveloped country," he fumes.
Thailand has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world, with 44 deaths per 100,000 population, according to a 2014 study based on World Health Organisation figures.

But while drivers cover their cars with protective trinkets to keep safe, many still speed and drink-drive. Mototaxis are laden with amulets but those at the wheel rarely use helmets, and often overload passengers.

The "F***Ghosts" campaign appears to be having a partial effect, with authorities in January removing hundreds of statues that had built up around the accident black spot – known locally as "Kong Roi Sop", the curve that claims 100 lives.

But the removal could only go ahead once a Buddhist monk had initiated a ceremony making sure any evil spirits would leave the area.

"At the beginning, the workers were quite concerned," admitted Supit Kraimak, head of the local sanitation department.

"But after the monk chanted, they felt more comfortable about the job."

Lucrative business

For much of Thailand's soothsayers, astrologers and its huge monastic network, belief in the superstitious is also undoubtedly lucrative.

Exorcisms, protective spells and trinkets are all readily available at a price, while books and films about haunting spirits are hugely popular. Businesses often pay monks to make annual visits to chase away evil spirits.

Thais believe a violent or unexpected death is more likely to result in the creation of an angry ghost when a soul departs.

And few ghosts are more famous than "Nak", a woman who Thais believe lived in Bangkok in the nineteenth century and died during childbirth while her husband was away fighting a war.

There are many versions of the story, but in general they all describe how the husband returned to find his wife seemingly still alive.

Nak was so devoted to him that she had remained as a ghost, but became a malevolent spirit when her husband discovered the truth and ran away.

"On the eve of a lottery, this temple is open all night," reads the sign on a shrine dedicated to Nak in Bangkok where locals make offerings to the ghost asking for cures, good luck and exemption from military service.

Fortune-tellers ply their trade outside the shrine and devotees also release fish, turtles and frogs into a nearby canal to earn "merit".

According to the merchants selling the animals, the release of an eel will bring professional success and a frog can reduce sins.

The head of the temple declined to be questioned by AFP. But those visiting were convinced their offerings to Nak would be rewarded.

"I believe in her and I believe in ghosts," said Netnaran Janvanu, a young mother at the temple, before adding matter-of-factly: "My friends believe in ghosts too." – AFP

A statue of the famous ghost 'Nak', a woman who Thais believe lived in Bangkok in the nineteenth century and died during childbirth while her husband was away fighting a war, at her shrine sheltered in a Buddhist temple in Bangkok. AFP
source:thesundaily.my

France’s most-wanted woman visited mosques in Malaysia, says paper

A screenshot of a woman said to be Hayat Boumeddiene, France’s most-wanted woman in connection with the Charlie Hebdo attack, in Istanbul airport in January. – Reuters pic, February 3, 2015.

Hayat Boumeddiene, France’s most-wanted woman in connection with the Charlie Hebdo attack, had visited mosques in Malaysia, The Washington Post reported yesterday.

Boumeddiene left Paris on January 2, reportedly bound for a part of Syria controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), a few days before her husband, Amédy Coulibaly, killed a policewoman in Paris.

On January 7, two gunmen stormed into Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris and killed 12 people, most of them journalists and cartoonists, over what they said were the cartoon's satirical portrayals of Prophet Muhammad.

The attack culminated in twin siege dramas that left 17 people dead.

Boumeddiene, 26, has now become a key target for investigators who claim she had detailed knowledge of the three days of violence that gripped France.

Coulibaly, 32, was a close of associate of brothers Cherif and Said Kouchai – architects of the Charlie Hebdo massacre – killed four of the 17 hostages at a Jewish supermarket before he was shot dead by French security forces.

His partner, Boumeddiene, now joins a number of women Isis supporters in the Middle East. UK paper, The Daily Mail, said the two had visited Malaysia for a holiday with the Post’s reports adding that Boumeddiene had visited mosques in Malaysia. In October 2010, the couple had gone on a pilgrimage in Mecca.

The one-time cashier was reportedly radicalised after meeting Coulibaly.

She told police who had interviewed her as part of their inquiries into Coulibaly’s murky dealings with Islamic extremists that in 2009, she had walked away from a low-paying job as a cashier in Paris.

After marrying Coulibay, Boumedienne “devoted herself” to him, the Daily Mail reported.

Interrogated by police in 2010, Boumeddiene said she was inspired by her husband and the radicals she lived with to “read a lot of books on religion”.

 "When I saw the massacre of the innocents in Palestine, in Iraq, in Chechnya, in Afghanistan or anywhere the Americans sent their bombers, all that… well, who are the terrorists?"

She added that when Americans killed innocents, it was the right of men to defend their women and children. – February 3, 2015.

source:themalaysianinsider.com

Oldtown White Coffee on its halal certification — Dr Ahmed Tasir

FEBRUARY 2 — Oldtown White Coffee would like to take this opportunity to once again assure our customers that the food and beverages served in all our outlets are halal. The accusations that they are non-halal are NOT TRUE and are made by an individual or individuals that have been misinformed.

At Oldtown White Coffee, our priority has always been and will continue to be the quality of our products and the service we provide to our customers. The halal certification is a very thorough and rigorous process. In order to maintain this certification all equipment, ingredients, suppliers and cleaning procedures must meet the halal requirements by Jakim. We would like to reiterate that we have met all those requirements in all Oldtown White Coffee outlets. On that note, our central kitchens continue to meet Jakim’s halal requirements.

We strive to ensure the strictest of guidelines are enforced when it comes to providing halal certified food and beverages to our Muslim patrons, and as such, have long been on a strict timeline to receive complete halal certification for all our franchised outlets as well. This is to ensure there is no question of the halal certification of any of our products to our valued customers.

As a brand that truly considers the needs of its customers, we understand how important the halal certification is to our Muslim friends. Oldtown White Coffee does not serve any non-halal food products or alcohol, and all our food and beverages are prepared in a halal manner. We will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all our outlets in Malaysia remain halal-certified.

On another note, we would also like to clarify once again that Oldtown White Coffee is not affiliated with any political party, or any politician as recently alleged by a certain public figure, nor does the company have any political interests. Oldtown Berhad is a publicly listed company on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad and our ownership information is readily available online.  The Board of Directors of Oldtown Berhad can also confirm that they are not active members of any political party.
 
Datuk Dr Ahmed Tasir
Chairman of Oldtown White Coffee 

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.