Ghosts enlisted in fight against forest encroachment

CHIANG MAI: -- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered a crackdown on forest encroachment and the officials who turn a blind eye to it, but for the residents of tambon Mae Hia in Thailand's northern province of Chiang Mai the answer is simple - bring on the ghosts.

Yesterday the tambon administrative organization in the remote area organized the annual 'Phee Don' ceremony for the spirits who guard the area around water sources on Doi Suthep and Doi Pui to help ensure that nobody encroaches on the forest land.

The ceremony involves the sacrifice of one male buffalo each year, whose flesh and fresh blood the spirits are then invited to eat.

This year, the spirits are said to have ordered community leaders to look after the forest land, and to have warned that anyone who breaks with tradition could face death.

According to local tradition, there were once two meat-eating giants - Grandfather Sae and Grandmother Sae - living on Doi Suthep and Doi Pui.

When the Buddha visited the area, the two giants captured him in order to eat.

But before they could eat him, the Buddha preached a sermon against eating meat.

From that day on, the two giants desisted and promised to protect the surrounding land, vowing that the only meat they would eat would be one buffalo bull each year.

--TNA 2005-06-21

I can be of help. I can have a few gnomes, leprechauns, big foot, yetis, loch ness monsters and unicorns flown over tomorrow in order to help.

All the evidence I have seen points to the pii taking the trees!

"Ghosts enlisted in fight against forest encroachment"

I can be of help. I can have a few gnomes, leprechauns, big foot, yetis, loch ness monsters and unicorns flown over tomorrow in order to help.

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Don't forget Dracula, the wolfman and Frankenstein, natural leaders all.