Lopburi district chief summons higher power to prove there are no ‘krasua ghosts’

In an urgent letter to the governor on Tuesday, Muang district chief Phitsanu Praphathanan said villagers in several parts of Muang and adjoining Tha Wung districts have been panicking after a villager claimed to have seen a “krasue ghost”.

The district chief said that what the villagers thought was a ghost, was actually a chicken thief wearing the mask of an old woman with long greying hair and fangs for teeth.

Rumours of the so-called ghost were further exacerbated when television stations and local newspapers jumped on the bandwagon earlier on Tuesday.

Many Thais, especially those in rural areas, believe that cursed people turn into krasua ghosts at night. These ghosts apparently float out in the dark with only their heads and intestines to feed on animals’ intestines and waste.

In his letter to the governor, Phitsanu said he had a logical explanation of this “krasue ghost” encounter.

He said the panic stemmed from Tha Wung resident Wichian Duangket, who told his neighbours that he had had a close encounter with a ghost late one night in the middle of September.

Wichian had apparently claimed to have seen the ghost of a woman with greying hair that showed big fangs when she smiled at him.

Phitsanu said this tale was told and retold by many people until it started terrifying people.

However, Phitsanu said, the chief of Moo 7 village who lives next door to Wichian found a mask in front of the house the morning after he reportedly saw the ghost. The mask looked like the old woman described by Wichian.

The district chief said he has told all administrative organisations and village chiefs to warn villagers to beware of thieves instead of fearing non-existent ghosts.

However, this story of the so-called krasua ghost became such a hot topic that the host of Channel 3’s “Hone Krasae” (Going with Hot Issues) talk show decided to pick up the issue on Wednesday afternoon.

The show featured Wichian and hosts of some popular TV talk shows that focus on ghost stories. In the show, Wichian insisted the thing he encountered that night looked nothing like the mask that was found.

Meanwhile, two hosts of shows that feature ghost stories insisted that there are indeed “krasua ghosts” in Thailand, and one of them even cited a Thai law that mentions these so-called ghosts.

Another host, meanwhile, pleaded with the public to leave these “krasua ghosts” alone, saying they are pathetic persons suffering from curses.