Haunted Places

[blyish]

I've travelled all around the world and every place I've visited has stories of haunted places. Buildings, abandoned sites, hospitals. I've never heard anything here in Thailand. It strucks me as really strange. Is it because the locals don't believe in haunted places so stories never develop? I'm not talking about whether the places are really haunted or not, just the local talk about it.

[isanbirder]

I should think Thailand is as rich in ghost stories as anywhere, but they don't seem to attach them to particular places as much as Europeans do. For instance, my partner swears that there are 'pi' in our 3-rai garden; I've never seen one, and they don't seem to worry him. By the way, I can see the greasy smoke from the local crematorium (and smell it) from my window, so I should think we're prime targets.

[dansat]

On many balconys in Pattaya.... and will be on more in the future until ' balcony diving ' becomes a regulated sport

[cdnvic]

Post-tsunami, there were many reports of hauntings.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0501/S00168.htm

[DP25]

Everywhere here is haunted

[blyish]

I should think Thailand is as rich in ghost stories as anywhere, but they don't seem to attach them to particular places as much as Europeans do. For instance, my partner swears that there are 'pi' in our 3-rai garden; I've never seen one, and they don't seem to worry him. By the way, I can see the greasy smoke from the local crematorium (and smell it) from my window, so I should think we're prime targets.

Maybe that's what it is. I was thinking more about haunted places and how that seems to be missing here. I tend to think of the concept of "ghost" as attached to some place, so the idea of wandering ghost is very different to the European idea of haunting.

[GooEng]

every single building, street and even tree has a ghost or spirit in it in thailand.

thai buddhism is deeply infused with animism. many thais fully believe that spirits walk among us at all times and i have yet to find a single thai who will deny the existence of ghosts - most claim to have seen them.

the hottest spots for ghosts are temples due to the presence of corpses in the mortuary and the burning of dead people there.

any uninhabited dark spot also - jungle, farmland, deserted buildings and my garden apparently .

[doggie888888]

Let me ask the spirit who apparently dwells in the little spirit house I had erected for him/her/it becasue I had displaced him/her/it from the land on which my house now stands.

[blyish]

So are ghosts not as scary here, then? How come I've never heard something like "this building is the most haunted" or something of that nature? Is that ghosts are so common that nobody pays any attention to them? For example, you have amateur ghost hunters pretty much everywhere in the US and Europe, but I somehow doubt that's common here.

[cdnvic]

Find a video store where they speak decent English and ask for some Thai ghost films. They can be quite good.

[Kwasaki]

So are ghosts not as scary here, then? How come I've never heard something like "this building is the most haunted" or something of that nature? Is that ghosts are so common that nobody pays any attention to them? For example, you have amateur ghost hunters pretty much everywhere in the US and Europe, but I somehow doubt that's common here.

Your probably right because Thais seem to believe there everywhere as it has already explained.

My Brother-inlaw won't sleep around my sister-inlaws place because her dead Husband didn't like him.

My wife will not go into the Historical park here on her own at night.

All the spirit houses you see around is where the spirits live.

Nightime is when the ghosts come out, so don't be alone at night in Thailand.

girlonbike2.wmv

[blyish]

I was asking because I have a friend in London who's an avid ghost hunter. She and her group go to abandoned places to try and catch sounds or shadows. She asked me if there were cool places here to investigate and I told her I thought they weren't. I guess I was right. I'm kind of disappointed now.

[onnut]

What about that old hotel where the student up-rising took place? I heard that it is an empty building because of ghosts now.

[isanbirder]

In many villages (and in a house just along from ours) they put dummies outside the house with the inscription, "Nobody lives in this house whose name begins with (insert initial)". If it sees this, a wandering ghost will pass by.

[GooEng]

the building at the top of thong lor that used to be liberty insurance has been abandoned for years as it is thought to be haunted. it was built on unconsecrated ground or something like that - an ex cremation or burial site, can't remember the details.

[blyish]

In many villages (and in a house just along from ours) they put dummies outside the house with the inscription, "Nobody lives in this house whose name begins with (insert initial)". If it sees this, a wandering ghost will pass by.

This is pretty interesting. Never heard about it before. I'll see if I can find more information online.

[coxhoedave]

This may upset a few people who wish to be more Thai than the Thais,but here goes

There are no such things as ghosts.

[isanbirder]

This may upset a few people who wish to be more Thai than the Thais,but here goes

There are no such things as ghosts.

Why should it upset people? You can't prove it, they can't prove it. Why not let everybody be happy with their own beliefs?

[coxhoedave]

OK, sorry about that Isanbirder, maybe the wrong choice of words but reading the posts one could be forgiven for believing that the existence of ghosts was beyond question.

However many people, myself included, believe that the only people who can harm you are alive and not dead.

[blyish]

This may upset a few people who wish to be more Thai than the Thais,but here goes

There are no such things as ghosts.

Why should it upset people? You can't prove it, they can't prove it. Why not let everybody be happy with their own beliefs?

I don't think we're arguing that. My friend believes in ghosts (or spirits or energy or whatever) and she enjoys the hunt. I think believing in ghosts is a lot more harmless than believing in some of the crazy ideas out there, so who cares? Also, haunted places/ghosts are part of the culture of almost every country I can think of. I just find the concept fascinating (but then again, I'm an anthropologist, so maybe it's just me). Whether ghosts exist or not it really doesn't matter.

[pampal]

Some people say this park is haunted.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=rommaninat+park+bangkok&fb=1&hq=rommaninat+park&hnear=Bangkok,+Thailand&cid=0,0,12703798934392179011&ei=nUbpTLaFCoWycMCNnZwK&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQnwIwAA

[Flatouthruthefog]

<br />I was asking because I have a friend in London who's an avid ghost hunter. She and her group go to abandoned places to try and catch sounds or shadows. She asked me if there were cool places here to investigate and I told her I thought they weren't. I guess I was right. I'm kind of disappointed now.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Don't be disappointed.

I can direct your friend to a modern-ish 4 storey building not far from the Chinese Embassy in Bkk where no-one stays overnight for more than a week. I know the Thai owner, now living in UK.

In 1992 he rented out the ground floor(only)in daytime (only) to a tele-sales outfit. None of those bright young things would even climb the first staircase.

A young girl was kept prisoner there on the upper floors by an old man who eventually killed her, and both spirits are still trapped there. An exorcism a few years ago failed, and this is the ONLY empty building in the whole suburb.

In Chiang Mai, part way up Doi Suthep, is a little temple in a beautiful shaded area with trees and a stream. Wat Palad. People taking photos there often find clear figures of people on the pictures who were not visible to the naked eye. 'Citylife' magazine carried one about 3 years ago. A Thai TV company went there to interview the Abbot and film around. Several figures appear in the background of the film which were seen by no-one at the time.

In chatting to the Abbot about this (who was totally unruffled by it) I remarked how young he was to be an Abbot. He smiled and said "Yes, no-one stays here very long."

PM me WITH your own e-mail if you want more, but only if you are serious.

[BoonToong]

Wat Mahabut, Soi On Nut (77).

details of the story here

[Scully]

There are loads of large buildings up here in Isaan that have just been desserted because there are thought to be ghosts in them. I often wonder If I could buy one at a knock down price and make a cheap mansion of a home.

The trouble is you would'nt get a Thai staying there so it would be a bit lonely, just me and the ghosts.

[Thongkorn]

My wife can see Ghosts or spirits, my money just disappears, only joking , Most Thai people are superstitious, it comes with buddhism,But there are good and bad. I had to help a friend out who is a Thai lady, she owns a bar , a girl died in one of her rooms, the room had to be exocised by monks before any would go near the place. for 4 nights i had to sleep in a bed with five girls, It was hard but i had to do my bit , so to speak.

[CarlBkk]

Another vote for Wat Mahabut where the very famous ghost of Nong Nak is said to reside. When you get a murder or suicide in a house in Thailand it is VERY hard to sell on to a Thai. There are many which are empty and overgrown and you can walk right in and stay in them if you wish.

If your friends really want a test, they can obtain a "gooman tong" and leave it in their room for a few days and see what happens. Gooman Tong are stillborn foetuses that are kept, cremated to a degree, and then "trapped" in a glass object by a rogue monk. Not only an upcountry tale, I know of one extremely famous hi-so person in Bangkok who keeps one in her office, hidden away, and strongly believes in its effect. Look after it, give it attention, and it's said to return the favour in good feeling, house protection and tranquility. Ignore it and expect some poltergeist activity, stress and bad luck.

As far as I know, no-one in the West has ever owned one and tested this heresay.

[roamer]

Another vote for Wat Mahabut where the very famous ghost of Nong Nak is said to reside. When you get a murder or suicide in a house in Thailand it is VERY hard to sell on to a Thai. There are many which are empty and overgrown and you can walk right in and stay in them if you wish.

If your friends really want a test, they can obtain a "gooman tong" and leave it in their room for a few days and see what happens. Gooman Tong are stillborn foetuses that are kept, cremated to a degree, and then "trapped" in a glass object by a rogue monk. Not only an upcountry tale, I know of one extremely famous hi-so person in Bangkok who keeps one in her office, hidden away, and strongly believes in its effect. Look after it, give it attention, and it's said to return the favour in good feeling, house protection and tranquility. Ignore it and expect some poltergeist activity, stress and bad luck.

As far as I know, no-one in the West has ever owned one and tested this heresay.

Carl, I think you might have surprised a few people here, can't ever recall Gooman Tong being mentioned here before. Normally if you happen to mention this to a farang you will get looks of disbelief. In fact I know various long term farang residents who flatly refuse to believe me on this subject, maybe it shakes their core beliefs, don't know. Certainly its not something that Thai's feel comfortable talking about. However I will back you up in your assertion that this is not something confined to upcountry folk, far more common than might be believed. Those that do practice this also firmly believe its a double edged sword and that if they do not put back in what they get out then harm can befall them. i suppose therefore a sense for good.

[newsite12]

Yes. The Thai people all believe in ghosts and that most every place has a spirit or more.

That is why most buildings have a 'wai house' or 'spirit house'. The tallest is where the spirits of the building reside, and there is sometimes a flat table like platform which is where the spirits of the land reside. My girlfriend has claimed to have seen a few ghosts and is very convinced 'and convincing' of what she has seen, also in the company of others who have all witnessed the same things, such as a schoolchild sat in a tree wearing a white shirt and grey skirt... seen by more than 5 people at the time, then just disappeared.

Also, one that nobody seems to have mentioned, is that a lot of Thais also believe that a ghost will attach itself to the underside of a vehicle such as a car or 'mostly' a truck... Ever been driving behind a truck and seen a teddy bear dangling from its undercarriage??? That is to amuse the ghost, and keep it company.

My girlfriend also HATES driving the 8 KM back from my house to her house any later than 11pm, as she will be the only car on the road, seeing that we live right on the edge of Korat, and she has to drive alone in the dark, past a lot of fields... these places are meant to be the dwelling areas of the most evil and malevolent ghosts which are blamed for attaching themselves to cars and causing unexplained single vehicle crashes... even though probably a different type of spirit is most likely to be blamed. But anyway, she has to turn on the CD player and crank it up full hurl as to help distract her from her fear.

Thailand is actually more rich in hauntings and ghosts than all the western countries put together.

Any avid ghost hunter will NOT be disappointed in Thailand.

[CoffeeGeek]

Good thread! It would be interesting to find a book or list of supposed haunted Thailand attractions

[travelmann]

"I've travelled all around the world and every place I've visited has stories of haunted places. Buildings, abandoned sites, hospitals. I've never heard anything here in Thailand. It strucks me as really strange. Is it because the locals don't believe in haunted places so stories never develop? I'm not talking about whether the places are really haunted or not, just the local talk about it"

No its because actually there are no ghosts anywhere (except in your brain) its all a fantasy.