Dekchai Plaboo could see the future. Thirty seven years ago he successfully predicted the 2003 Thailand tsunami; at least according to his father who announced this fact many years after the tsunami took place. Dekchai also predicted that the Bhumipol Dam would collapse on December 31st of last year. The dam is a popular tourist attraction and people stayed away over the danger period, costing four million baht in lost tourist income.
Bad news for tourism, and bad news for Dekchai’s Dad who was given a fifteen day suspended prison sentence, presumably for saying things that failed to come true.
But there’s more. There are people who make a living out of telling invented falsehoods to gullible people. They call themselves fortune tellers and one of their senior figures is now proposing that there should be act of parliament to ban amateur fortune tellers from spouting crap, unlike professionals who use astrology or “known science” as a feeble front for spouting crap. Can’t have these amateurs giving the noble art of fortune telling a bad name by making a very specific prediction which can be proved to be untrue; when a real professional will limit himself to “I see a dark figure in your future, business will be good and something blue will fall at your feet.”
Remains to be seen whether parliament will respond to this very urgent request.
The people of my adopted country are a superstitious bunch and my wife is no exception. Lucky colours and numbers abound, fortune tellers are consulted and karma is everywhere. So of course I was warned to take care today, Friday 13th.
I don’t believe all this superstitious nonsense, and other than spawning a series of puerile teens slasher movies, Friday the 13th has never caused me any problems. And I am almost through the day and nothing has happened. Touch wood.
Comments 🔗
2012-01-13| Spanky saysI laughed when I read that story. It took me more than a few years to spot the fortune tellers in Pattaya but now I know what to look for and they do a booming business.
2012-01-13| Grant saysHmm. Hugely over-active belief systems certainly seem to be the norm in these here parts and it can get a little trying if you have an under-active one! The day before yesterday a gecko, an ‘animon’ whose species I had always held in high regard, shat on me from it’s lofty perch in a restaurant ceiling. The war department, bless her soul, immediately ushered in an itinerant lottery ticket seller who was instructed to sell me an unreasonably large number of tickets ending in ‘77’, this episode apparently being a seriously good omen. I am now waiting to become ‘unusually wealthy’. The W/D, however, is refusing to indemnify me against the cost of said tickets should the result turn out to be a nett loss…
2012-01-13| Spike saysI amused myself for a while by telling SWMBO that I had had a dream where a series of numbers kept repeating themselves, and then sat back while she bought the tickets. After a series of failures, I have been rumbled. The gecko shit thing is true though, I suggest sticking all your spare cash into a BMW deposit right now.
2012-01-13| Grant saysOn another tack, Spike, you’ll be pleased to know that as of last Friday 6 Jan the Bhumipol Dam was still there and looking pretty solid. In fact it was so crammed with tourists and double-decker buses that we had trouble getting near it, even tho’ I was shouting ’let me through, I’m a doctor’… Seems as though the ‘prophecy’ is now drawing people there in unprecedented numbers so it may all turn out well after all. I certainly hope so, it’s a lovely spot, and if you’re so inclined you can take a boat from there to Chaing Mai - a must-do one day I reckon.
2012-01-13| Spike saysOh, and War Department; excellent!
2012-01-20| Jock saysbrings back memories … last time I was in Jomtiem for some reason I was somehat ´encouraged´ to buy a shitload of lottery tickets ending in 21 …. every lottery seller that passed took 100 baht or thereabouts off me … I never did see the tickets or the girl again … I guess she won :-(