Vanishing act: Thai man’s disappearance sparks monk’s mystical ceremony

A 49 year old Thai man mysteriously vanished from his home in the early hours of October 26 leading to a monk’s mystical ceremony to find him. Residents from Mo 9, Nern Phayom, Thung Pho, Nong Chang, Uthai Thani, and neighbouring villages were joined by over 30 officials in a desperate search that lasted four days.

Their journey led them to an abandoned house amid a sugarcane field, which had been deserted for more than 13 years and was reputedly the site where five bodies had previously been discovered.

The search party struggled to locate the missing man, named Chamnan, known locally as Lek, leading his relatives to believe that supernatural forces were at play.

It was not until October 29, that they sought the assistance of monk Athikan Rattanakorn Thanaviro, known to villagers as Ajarn Tum of Wat Tham Sanam Bin. The respected monk performed a ceremony at the house to determine the direction in which the deceased individual may have gone.

Following the ceremony, in which an egg was used to invoke a spell and then thrown in front of the house, Ajarn Tum pointed southwards and declared that Chamnan had died and was near a house. He advised the family and officials to search in the southern direction.

Heeding his advice, the search party, comprising officials, relatives, and villagers, ventured into the sugarcane plantation where they found the lifeless body of Lek, 1 kilometre away from his home and 20 metres away from the village head’s house. This discovery left those involved in the search puzzled, reported KhaoSod.

Afterwards, the relatives brought a coffin to the site of the incident. Upon opening the coffin lid, villagers discovered the number 370 and the deceased’s age, 49, which prompted lottery enthusiasts to prepare for the upcoming draw.

In related news, a month ago a desperate search for a 61 year old mushroom picker lost in the Khao Kho Forest in northern Thailand saw over 100 people join the hunt. Tragically, the man, known locally as Khamphan Sisonkarn or Lod, disappeared on September 27 while foraging in the community forest of Jawa Sitt village, Rim Si Muang sub-district. Read more about this story HERE.

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