SUPERSTITION5 collapse on visit to dinosaur fossil site
Exorcist helps bring women out of swoon
Nutcharee Raekroon - Nakhon Si Thammarat
Four female students and a lecturer from Rajabhat Institute had sudden seizures and fainted during a visit to a dinosaur fossil site yesterday _ and some people are blaming the supernatural.
The five women each let out high-pitched screams and then collapsed unconscious during a morning class, witnesses said.
They were rushed to the campus' medical unit and then taken to an exorcist, or mor phii, Liam Banusawan, when their condition did not improve.
The five were sprinkled with holy water in a ceremony performed by Mr Liam.
One of the students who fainted said she suffered chest pains and could not breathe before losing her consciousness. The others refused to talk.
It was the second such incident within a week at Pedan cave in Thung Yai district.
Fifteen students collapsed during a visit by 180 students on June 26-27, witnesses said. They were taken to Wat Chaikhlong, sprinkled with holy water and taken to hospital for checks.
Fossils believed to be about 300 million years old were discovered at the cave on June 18. Assistant Professor Panya Lertkrai, of Rajabaht Institute, led a party to survey the site.
Mr Panya said old people nearby believed supernatural powers were present at the camping site.
``They could have been upset by the students' behaviour. Some might have taken dinosaur remains home,'' he said.
To make everyone feel better he and the students would return to the camping site and ask the guardian spirits there for forgiveness.
Local villagers said the cave was a former communist base and a burial site for those killed in the government crackdown. ``It could have been the work of those spirits,'' one villager said.
(Source: The Bangkok Post, The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2002, reproduced with permission for non-commercial use only.)
References:
1 "5 collapse on visit to dinosaur fossil site", The Bangkok Post, 5/2/2002, url: http://www.bangkokpost.com/020702_News/02Jul2002_news05.html
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[Created: 08/12/2002]
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