Thai tsunami trauma sparks rash of foreign ghost sightings

Agence France Presse ^ | Jan. 13, 2005 | Staff

[Kitten Festival]

PATONG, Thailand (AFP) - A second surge of tsunami terror is hitting southern Thailand, but this time it is a wave of foreign ghosts terrifying locals in what health experts described as an outpouring of delayed mass trauma.

AFP Photo

AP Photo Slideshow: Asian Tsunami Disaster

Tales of ghost sightings in the six worst hit southern provinces have become endemic, with many locals saying they are too terrified to venture near the beach or into the ocean.

Spooked volunteer body searchers on the resort areas of Phi Phi island and Khao Lak are reported to have looked for tourists heard laughing and singing on the beach only to find darkness and empty sand.

Taxi drivers in Patong swear they have picked up a foreign man and his Thai girlfriend going to the airport with all their baggage, only to then look in the rear-view mirror and find an empty seat.

[Kitten Festival]

For some reason I find this perfectly believable, look how eerie the stories are. I'm getting scared just reading it.

[Prime Choice]

(((I see dead people.)))

[Ditter]

bump

[billorites]

Boo!

[fo0hzy]

[Hatteras]

D-D-D-Did yyyyyyou say, "G-G-G-G-GhOst"?!!

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Later in the article:

The majority of Thais are deeply suspicious, believing ghosts reside in most large trees and keeping a spirit house in every home where daily offerings of food and drink are given to calm nearby paranormal entities.

That's what they get for relying on a spell checker to proofread their copy. I'll bet they were superstitious, not suspicious.

[Prime Choice]

Boo!

EEK!   *BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM* (reload) *BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*BLAM*

Phew. Now I really see dead people!

[escapefromboston]

I am very suspicious of ghosts living in the large tree in front of my house, I spend hours yelling at the tree trying to get rid of them.

[Arpege92]

"Taxi drivers in Patong swear they have picked up a foreign man and his Thai girlfriend going to the airport with all their baggage, only to look in the rear-view mirror and find an empty seat."

Ghost or no ghost, leaving a cab driver without paying is just plain rude.

[Arpege92]

LMAO

[VNam68]

I love it!

[garjog]

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." -- Hamlet

[Cvengr]

"Taxi drivers in Patong swear they have picked up a foreign man and his Thai girlfriend going to the airport with all their baggage, only to look in the rear-view mirror and find an empty seat." Hmmm, Thailand, huh?.....I wonder if the cabbie looked to see if they had slidden down on the back seat? Then again, they probably are too well aware of that behavior in Thailand to be easily fooled,....

It's been said that upon spiritual regeneration and salvation, we all receive a particular spiritual gift.... Each of us equipped in different fashions spiritually per the will and grace of God.

Some might be more equipped to perceive spiritual things than others. For this reason, I'm always skeptical of 'experts' in psychology or psychiatry who immediately label supernatural reports as 'mental illness'.

Quite the contrary, until one is regenerated in the spirit, one lies exposed to demonic influence and possession. One could equally label the rush to judgment by those professionals as demonic influence upon their own judgment.

[johnb838]

That has been fixed.

[johnb838]

JUst heard a great sermon last week about how you could have been standing in the crowd at the Baptism of Jesus and and if your spiritual focus wasn't right you might have just said "Oh, look at the pretty clouds" and heard a little thunder. I think I believe that.

[killjoy]

My Thai girlfriend and some of her friends have been working as volunteers down in the south helping out. This is actually a major problem. Thais are very superstitious, especially when it comes to ghosts. Her friend woke up one night screaming. She said she felt hands around her neck trying to choke her. The Thais are not taking this very well and are trying to figure out why the ghosts want to do harm to them. After all, they are there to help the 'ghosts', not hurt them.

Personally I don't believe in ghosts and think it has more to do with overactive imagination, but it is still preventing work from being done there.

[Charlespg]

"For some reason I find this perfectly believable"

as a matter of fact so do I
I think its entirely possible that people who suffered sudden and traumatic death might have trouble moving on
The History Channel had a show on ghosts in Gettysburg Pa that discussed this theory