Talisman tales

CHIANG MAI: With the craze for Jatukam Ramathep amulets still going strong, stories of miraculous survivals from shootings, stabbings, car crashes and other seemingly-dangerous events are a fixture in the Thai press at the moment. On June 1, one lucky 14-year-old in Rayong appeared in the pages of Thai Rath newspaper after he was left with only a small bruise on his backside after being shot by a rival. He and his father ascribed the miraculous event to the over-sized amulet he was wearing. Another recent case of supposed magical invulnerability involved a muay Thai instructor in Chiang Mai’s Chiang Dao District. In this case no Jatukam Ramathep amulet was invloved and the outcome was not quite so upbeat. Around noon on May 31 the instructor, Boonsong Khama, 52, was kneeling outside his house conducting a ceremony to bless grains of rice, which he would give to his fighters to chew before a fight. Known for his knowledge of arts both magical and martial, K. Boonsong claimed that if punched or elbowed, his boys would be resistant to cuts. Not wanting to send his fighters into the ring without being sure if his spells and incantations had worked, K. Boonsong decided to test the holy rice on himself first. He chewed a few grains and then asked his girlfriend to come at him with a knife. His girlfriend, 23-year-old Lahu tribeswoman Nadoe Jakha, had full faith in her partner’s magical abilities. Thus, she didn’t hold back, using a knife to slash him once in the head and three more times to the body. Unfortunately, the knife did not bounce off as the pair had expected. Rather, it sliced quite neatly through K. Boonsong’s flesh, leaving him screaming in agony on the ground. Realizing what she had done, K. Nadoe rushed him to hospital. The police officer in charge of the case, Lt Col Anek Chaiwong, an Investigating Officer at Chiang Dao District Police Station, said that K. Boonsong was in such serious condition that he had to be transferred to Nakhon Phim Hospital in Mae Rim District. His wounds required more than 50 stitches. Police have filed a preliminary charge of attempted murder against K. Nadoe while they investigate, Col Anek added.