Belief in ghosts ignored: Thieves steal from cinerary urns in Buriram temples

Residents urged the police to swiftly arrest thieves who stole money kept in the cinerary urns of their deceased family members at four temples in the Isaan province of Buriram, allegedly to buy drugs.

In line with Thai Buddhist traditions, it is customary to place coins in urns or containers with the ashes and bones of the cremated deceased, with the belief that the souls will require this money in the afterlife.

Historically, people were wary of stealing or even handling this money, fearing that the spirits would demand its return. There was also a common belief that money possessed mysterious powers that could bring misfortune to those who tamper with it.

However, this belief seems to have faded over time, especially among the thieves in this case. They were not frightened by the thought of supernatural forces or ghosts and stole money from cinerary urns at four temples in Buriram, including Ban Sawai Tanguan Temple, Ban Nongyai Temple, Nonsri Samran Temple, and Mueang Pho Temple.

Locals contacted Thai news agencies to draw the attention of police officers, urging them to take their case seriously out of fear that the thieves would commit further crimes in other temples in the province.

One of the victims, 71 year old Nittaya Saiyot, took reporters from DailyNews to the scene of the incident at Sawai Tanguan Temple yesterday, October 14. Many urns were broken, and the bones and ashes, along with the containers, were scattered on the ground.

Nittaya stated that she and other locals believed the thieves were drug addicts who stole the money to buy drugs. She called on the police to arrest the thieves as quickly as possible. However, the police have yet to respond to the case.

A related theft at a temple was reported earlier this month when a thief broke into Phra Sri Aray Temple in the central province of Ratchaburi and stole over 20,000 baht from a donation box.

Another theft occurred at Pa Klong Bang Phuttharan Temple in Udon Thani, also in the Isaan region, in July, where a thief stole copper wiring and damaged the temple’s cooling system. No arrests have been reported in that case.