Superstitious Thais queue for days to see famous fortune teller

Dozens of superstitious Thai people come from all over the kingdom and queue for several days just to get their fortune told at a temple in Chiang Mai.

They all seek the wisdom of 52 year old Tui, or Sattaphat, a monk at the Tung Yu Temple in Chiang Mai. Tui became famous on Thai social media after hundreds of netizens made known that their lives improved after going to see the fortune-telling monk.

According to netizens, Tui would ask for personal information, such as birth date, birth time, zodiac, first name, and last name. Then, he would predict their future fortunes according to his ancient scriptures.

If a person has some misfortune in their life Tui suggests they change their first name, surname, or both to get better fortune and good luck.

Many netizens report that Tui’s fortune-telling skills are very accurate and their lives improved after changing their names on his recommendation.

Tui offers his fortune-telling service to 20 people per day. Fortune seekers are invited to queue from 3am and reservations close at 11am. Many people turn up with their bedding and sleep in the queue while waiting for their turn.

Tui doesn’t set a price for the service but invites people to donate what they can afford to the temple.

One woman who travelled from Bangkok told the media that she arrived at the temple last Monday, September 12, and had to wait until Wednesday, September 16 before she secured a place in the queue to see Tui.

The woman said her friend recommended she visited the fortune teller. Her friend brought the whole family to the temple and they all changed their names to make their lives better.

Another woman insisted that she was willing to wait as long as takes and if her life improved will return and donate more money to the temple.

The abbot of the Tung Yu Temple, Samu Boonrueng, revealed that Tui had lived as a monk at the temple for 11 years, since 2011. Tui helped improve the temple because he could draw a lot of donations.

The Deputy Director of the Chiang Mai Provincial Cultural Council, Wanlop Narmwongprom, gave an interview with Thai media about the appropriateness of a monk becoming a fortune teller.

Wanlop said the topic provided a dilemma. Thai monks have been involved in fortune-telling since ancient times. They forecasted the fortunes of war, the country’s future, and other things.

Wanlop said it is fine if a monk tells fortunes for free and not for money. He added that fortune-telling was another restraint and spiritual anchor for the Thai people.

SOURCE: Khaosod | Thairath