Pigeon death creates a bizarre finale to Prayut’s talk on superstition
Soon after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha denied that his government believed in superstition, a rare bird fight that brought demise to a pigeon took place right in front of his office.
While faith in the supernatural is blended with Thai tradition, Prayut insisted that a series of “unusualness” happening around Government House from last week had nothing to do with him. But he then said that he would not disrespect these incidents.
“We are people of Thailand 4.0. These things happened by natural causes. Yet, we also don’t look down on those superstitious incidents,” the premier said.
While last week’s breaking of some lotus basil purchased by Prayut was a mere accident, he went on, the mysterious appearance of a bunch of 36 incense sticks in front his office might have been done by some “good willing civil servants” who were simply praying for the country’s benefit.
The PM’s Secretariat Office on Monday ordered police to track down the person who placed the burning incense sticks there, although they doubted that it could have been done by somebody wanting to perform “a bad ritual” against the government, which has seen its popularity plummet recently.
Shortly after Prayut finished his weekly press briefing yesterday, an unusual fight between a pigeon and two crows took place in front of the Thai Khu Fah building, metres away from where the incense sticks had been placed.
Reporters at Government House immediately turned their interests towards the killed pigeon, which was later tossed into a nearby rubbish bin.
“The pigeon can also be a symbol of the press,” one reporter joked. “Is this a bad omen for the government again –- or for us instead?”