PM Prayut asks people not to buy Look Thep dolls if they cannot afford them

[webfact]

PM asks people not to buy Look Thep dolls if they cannot afford them



BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha urged Thai people not to be carried away with the current trend of caring for the Child Angel or Look Thep dolls and should spend their money wisely.

The dolls are all about superstition, he said, adding that they are not something which is indispensable and they should not be bought if they cannot afford them.

Asked whether some of the rubber to be bought from rubber growers by the government will be used to make Child Angel dolls, the prime minister said it was much better to use the rubber for road construction.

Justice Minister Paiboon Kumchaya, meanwhile, expressed concern that the dolls might be used to smuggle drugs.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/148053


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-26

[candide]

He said...before going to consult his fortune teller....

[berybert]

Might not be a bad idea to make one of the dolls P.M. couldn't be any worse than 'excuse me I think I just followed thru'.

[tracker1]

They buy new pickups but no worries they cant afford them either but nothing said about that ! as for rubber dolls instead of using rubber in road construction how many of these drug smuggling dolls they intend to make ? oh Thailand !!!!!

[kotsak]

Interesting that F&B business have already jumped in to cash in on this new madness telling the owners that they are welcome with their "children"..

Edited January 25, 2016 by kotsak

[NongKhaiKid]

Thais don't buy things they can't afford do they ?

Face has nothing to do with it so there's no national debt problem, no loansharks etc.

[vadid]

I'm just waiting to see how long it takes for someone to open a botox clinic for these dolls.

[rkidlad]

He's right. If you can't afford something, don't buy it. Don't worry - that sweet release of death may just be round the corner.

Also, if you're poor and can't afford razor blades, grow a beard.

[PatOngo]

"PM Prayut asks people not to buy Look Thep dolls if they cannot afford them"

He made the announcement after consultation with Uncle Too.

[Strangebrew]

Was that a picture of his 3 dolls?

[trogers]

And banks and credit cards companies will be offering interest-free installment plans...

[jacky54]

Is it the job of a govt leader to tell people what they can and cannot buy?

[Inn Between]

Have I got this right? These dolls cost between 2000 to 16000 baht and are supposed to have a real soul.

From an interview: The body parts? Don’t mind those, said Chutipat Siripoh, one of Mama's acolytes who greeted me at the door. All those little parts, she said, would be put together to make a Look Thep or “Child God,” a doll powered by a living soul said to change people’s lives.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Inn Between

[Somtamnication]

Super funny. A military PM asking people to not buy dolls! How insane is that!!!

[PatOngo]

I'm kind of reminded of this.....a passing phase?

Jatukham Rammathep is the name of an unusually popular amulet sold by some Buddhist temples in Thailand. The amulet is named for two princes of the Srivijaya kingdom of southern Thailand, and is believed to provide protection and good fortune to the bearer. Some legends hold that the name actually belongs to an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, whose worship was known in the south due to the presence of Mahayana Buddhism there during earlier eras.

The original Jatukham Rammathep amulets were created in 1987 by a Thai policeman named Khun Phantharak Rajjadej who believed that the spirit of Jatukham Rammathep had assisted him in solving a difficult murder case.

During 2006, following on the death of Khun Phantharak Rajjadej, Jatukham Rammathep amulets began to grow wildly in popularity among Thais who believed in their ability to grant good fortune and solve personal problems. The amulets were initially distributed by a temple in the town of Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand. As the demand for these amulets grew, they began to also be produced at other temples in Thailand.[2]

In April 2007, a woman died after being trampled in a rush to acquire reservations for a batch of Jatukham Rammathep amulets being produced at the Mahathat Woromaha Vihan temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Later that month, in the face of a crime wave of daily amulet robberies, Thailand's Supreme Patriarch stopped providing materials from the temple, such as ash from incense, used to make the amulets.

Trucks with loudspeakers blare promotions for different series of amulets all day in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and colorful posters cover many walls.[4]

It is estimated that sales of the Jatukham Rammathep amulet in Thailand will amount to over 20 billion baht during 2007.

[Briggsy]

This micro-managing is ridiculous. This guy is supposed to be running the country. It is as if he has the headlines read to him, watches 15 minutes of Sorayuth and then goes to the nation and says the first thing that comes into his head. It seems all very amateur.

[robblok]

Is it the job of a govt leader to tell people what they can and cannot buy?

Governments do give advise and in this case its not bad advise at all. You just need something to attack even if its a non issue don't you.

[jacky54]

Asking a question is 'attacking'? It's absolutely none of his business what people spend their money on is it. Not govt advise, just a self appointed busy body.

Edited January 26, 2016 by jacky54

[SABloke]

Why didn't he just say, ''Don't buy the dolls...period''. By adding ''if you can't afford them'' it adds all sorts of connotayions i.e. the dolls ARE real, their powers are real, they do bring about luck, he believes tbe BS, poor people are made to feel inferior and undeserving as usual

[Briggsy]

Why didn't he just say, ''Don't buy the dolls...period''. By adding ''if you can't afford them'' it adds all sorts of connotayions i.e. the dolls ARE real, their powers are real, they do bring about luck, he believes tbe BS, poor people are made to feel inferior and undeserving as usual

Yes, he is very paternalistic, considering people to be as little children who cannot make simple decisions and need to be given warnings all the time.

[canuckamuck]

I saw a woman with one of these things at the mall. She was chatting with it and playing with its hair. I thought the family must have left the nutty grandma to sit there while they shopped. But when the husband returned he talked to it too, and when they were joined by other family members they all trotted off making goo goo eyes at the doll and acting like it was a real kid.

[SABloke]

I'm kind of reminded of this.....a passing phase?

Jatukham Rammathep is the name of an unusually popular amulet sold by some Buddhist temples in Thailand. The amulet is named for two princes of the Srivijaya kingdom of southern Thailand, and is believed to provide protection and good fortune to the bearer. Some legends hold that the name actually belongs to an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, whose worship was known in the south due to the presence of Mahayana Buddhism there during earlier eras.

The original Jatukham Rammathep amulets were created in 1987 by a Thai policeman named Khun Phantharak Rajjadej who believed that the spirit of Jatukham Rammathep had assisted him in solving a difficult murder case.

During 2006, following on the death of Khun Phantharak Rajjadej, Jatukham Rammathep amulets began to grow wildly in popularity among Thais who believed in their ability to grant good fortune and solve personal problems. The amulets were initially distributed by a temple in the town of Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand. As the demand for these amulets grew, they began to also be produced at other temples in Thailand.[2]

In April 2007, a woman died after being trampled in a rush to acquire reservations for a batch of Jatukham Rammathep amulets being produced at the Mahathat Woromaha Vihan temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Later that month, in the face of a crime wave of daily amulet robberies, Thailand's Supreme Patriarch stopped providing materials from the temple, such as ash from incense, used to make the amulets.

Trucks with loudspeakers blare promotions for different series of amulets all day in Nakhon Si Thammarat, and colorful posters cover many walls.[4]

It is estimated that sales of the Jatukham Rammathep amulet in Thailand will amount to over 20 billion baht during 2007.

I don't believe this for one second...a Thai policeman solving a murder that it is The amulet story seems legit

[robblok]

I saw a woman with one of these things at the mall. She was chatting with it and playing with its hair. I thought the family must have left the nutty grandma to sit there while they shopped. But when the husband returned he talked to it too, and when they were joined by other family members they all trotted off making goo goo eyes at the doll and acting like it was a real kid.

Yes its crazy, but I wonder if its any more crazy believing someone died and then got back to life and claims to be the son of god who lives in heaven and looks down us to see if we live our lives good occasionally flooding the world.

Oh.. I forget that is a white religion so that is ok.

You can't compare religions in their insanity .. none can be proven and all are stupid. Only an atheist could comment in this topic.

But I agree.. but I think its crazy to act this way with a doll, but I think all religion is foolish.

[thesetat2013]

Why didn't he just say, ''Don't buy the dolls...period''. By adding ''if you can't afford them'' it adds all sorts of connotayions i.e. the dolls ARE real, their powers are real, they do bring about luck, he believes tbe BS, poor people are made to feel inferior and undeserving as usual

Yes, he is very paternalistic, considering people to be as little children who cannot make simple decisions and need to be given warnings all the time.

I know and read about quite a few Thai adults who act still as though little children so perhaps there is some justification to your comment as well as Mr. P addressing this to the public.

[ronwparker]

crazy thing for the ex general to do

[JoePai]

Interesting that F&B business have already jumped in to cash in on this new madness telling the owners that they are welcome with their "children"..

Not just F & B but also a well known airline has told passengers the dolls should have a seat !!

[BlindMagician]

Super funny. A military PM asking people to not buy dolls! How insane is that!!!

Very.

I like the video of him massaging the journalist's ear, with the journalist kneeling in front of him.

[sanukjim]

Can you see a PM of a modern nation making a STUPID statement like this about a doll. Here from the "the man" it makes it "From one dummy ,to other dummies".

[Nbarch]

There was a story that Uncle Too was consulting a fortune teller in the past, perhaps now he is asking one of these dolls for advice?

[SOTIRIOS]

.....I have seen women walking around with those dolls...and holding them and caring for them as if they were real children.....

...they sure get a lot of attention...and pretend not to notice....

...sadly the dolls are possibly treated better than real children in some cases.....

...as for pretending that they are 'spirit dolls'.........or 'child angels'......I am speechless....

...something very unhealthy in all of this.....