COMMENTARY
If every single person who spread false rumours and prophesies in this country was to be prosecuted _ by being either jailed or fined _ then Thailand could become either a prison-land or filthy rich.
Seriously. Can we go through a single day in this country without experiencing prophesies or falsehood in one form or another? Open a newspaper and there is the all-time-favourite horoscope column. "Play by the rules and keep your hands squeaky clean. You may be ambitious about finances, but it's not the right time to show your hand." That was my prediction for yesterday. Too bad it's one of those that appears difficult to prove whether it's true or false. Otherwise, I could have sued the newspaper for causing financial damage by telling me to be reserved about my financial prospects!
I hope by now you can rightly predict what I am getting at. The most interesting news out of this land so far this week, one that got picked up by an international news agency, is a summons by police in Tak province for a 73-year-old man to face a charge of causing public damage by publicising the false prophesy that a large dam in that province would burst on New Year's Eve. The thing is, old man Thongbai Khamsi has achieved the dream of many a multimedia upstart, in becoming a YouTube sensation overnight after his tale based on predictions made by his late son "Plu Bu" before he died at a young age some 37 years ago, was uploaded to the internet before the new year. In his tale, Mr Thongbai claims that not only did his late son foretell his own death _ informing his father of it 15 days before he actually passed away _ but he had also made predictions about many tragic events that would occur in future, including the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 and the tsunami in 2004.
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About the author
- Writer: Atiya Achakulwisut
- Position: Deputy Editor (Day)
