Southern Thailand
Temple in Southern Thailand Reaps Windfall From Ai Kai “Egg Boy”
In Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand people are flocking to Wat Chedi temple to pray to a benevolent spirit Ai Kai “Egg Boy.” Ai Kai is believed to be the spirit of a boy around nine or 10 years old who grants you wishes.
The miraculous power of Ai Khai “Egg Boy” has worked magic for the economy of this southern province battered by the protracted Covid-19 crisis. Ai Khai, has attracted almost 1 million visitors to his shrine at Wat Chedi temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat, since Thailand emerged from its coronavirus lockdown in July.
While most other parts of Thailand are still in the economic doldrums, tourists are streaming into this province hoping to be blessed by the gold-plated statue of the boy monk.
The phenomenon coincides with a period of economic and political turmoil in Thailand . The government has been promoting domestic tourism to support an industry that is normally the backbone of the Thai economy but has been badly damaged by the pandemic.
Ai Khai “Egg Boy” generating revenue as well as granting wishes
Meanwhile, the capital has been rocked by student-led protests calling for political reform, including rewriting the constitution, holding new elections and curbing the influence of the kingdom’s monarchy.
Some analysts, as well as social media posters, have lamented the Egg Boy fad as a superstitious response to the unrest on both fronts.
Although the number of visitors to the shrine at Wat Chedi falls far short of the almost 40 million foreign tourists the country welcomed last year. The influx has turned the once-sleepy seaside town into a bustling tourist magnet. Offering the industry as a whole hope of recovery.
Thailand has allowed no foreign visitors since it closed its borders to non-nationals in April. The government approved the entry of long-stay tourists a move welcomed by tour operators and hotels across Thailand.
This might be good news for the once booming tourism hotspots of Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, but Nakhon Si Thammarat seems content to rely on the legions of locals coming to see Egg Boy. Who apparently excels at generating revenue as well as granting wishes.
“We expect that by the end of September, 800,000 visitors will have made the trip here, garnering over 800 million baht [US$25.2 million] in revenue.” said Pitsinee Tatniyom, provincial director with the Tourism Authority of Thailand. “There have been some 400,000 visitors already in September alone.”
Visitors cue up for Egg Boy amulets
Nakhon Si Thammarat “is being lit up”, she said, thanks in large part to the intertwining of religion and tourism in what she referred to as “faith marketing.” Whereas the province’s airports used to accept about a dozen flights each day from elsewhere in the country. That number rose to 50 by the end of September.
With about 10,000 visitors every day during the week, rising to 25,000 per day on the weekends, Wat Chedi has recorded a surge in revenue. Above all from donations and the sale of items such as Egg Boy amulets. Also pieces of holy cloth with prayers from Buddhist monks. Hundreds of people often queue through the night to get their hands on the items before they sell out.
Believers pray to the Ai Khai “Egg Boy” statue in the temple and if their wish is granted, they usually return to perform kae bon. Its thanksgiving ceremony which often involves firecrackers and more donations.
Even those who do not visit the shrine sometimes have their wishes granted, according to Benjapop Benjathammatorn, owner of the nearby Sichon Cabana beach resort.
“One of my customers lost a necklace at the beach and after praying to Ai Khai “Egg Boy” for help, the necklace was found the next morning,” he said.
The local tourism industry is thriving, with many businesses welcoming repeat customers as well as those who have been urged to visit by friends or relatives.
Registering for Ai Khai copyrights
Leng Khanom, who works at an Ai Khai “Egg Boy” amulet shop in Nakhon Si Thammarat, said the trinkets can fetch as much as 100,000 baht (US$3,155) depending when they were made – the oldest, dating back to 1983, are usually the most expensive.
According to local legend, the temple at Wat Chedi is hundreds of years old but it had been reduced to a pile of ruins until it was rebuilt about 60 years ago.
Egg Boy’s reputation has now grown to the point where a statue has been erected in other provinces and his amulets are also reproduced elsewhere. Prompting the abbot of Wat Chedi in September to obtain the copyright for the various items the temple produces and sells.
One Twitter user asked: “Registering for Ai Khai copyrights means the spirit is completely commercialized. Shouldn’t the temple be scrutinized?”
Other criticisms of the Egg Boy shrine include the questionable morality of exploiting people’s faith to make money, and the dismissal of the craze as mere superstition.
“#AiKhai says how desperate the people in this country are with the daily grind that they have to ask for money from leaves and trees,” another Twitter user wrote. “Is politics not involved?”
Egg Boy fad will eventually fade
Phra Maha Paiwan Warawanno, a monk and social critic, said the Ai Khai “Egg Boy” fad will eventually fade. “This sort of popularity is superficial as we have seen from the previous phenomena in Thailand,” he said, pointing to other once fashionable items such as Jatukham Rammathep amulets, believed to provide protection and good fortune, or the Luk Thep baby dolls believed to be possessed by auspicious spirits.
“It is human nature to want to have hope and holy items are an accessible source of hope. But in the long run, the roles of temples can be distorted. Temples should provide people with intellect and an ability to see things with reason.”
Pipad Krajaejun, a history lecturer at Thammasat University, noted that Ai Khai Egg Boy’s tourism fame had coincided with the coronavirus pandemic “which caused the economy to crash and people to lose hope”.
According to Pipad, Ai Khai’s popularity reflects a society where wealth has grown increasingly concentrated among Thailand’s elite, curtailing the prospects of regular Thais.
“Thailand has to remodel its political and economic structure to allow people to acquire well-being and opportunity in order to be less attached to praying for wealth and materialism,” he said.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
Two tourists and a Thai longboat operator were safely rescued after their boat capsized in stormy seas in the Phi Phi islands off Krabi province on late Sunday. The incident happened in Ao Nang bay at about 11am.
A speedboat owned by Narayana Marine spotted the capsized longboat and was able to provided assistance. Two Chinese tourists, one a young girl, a Thai tourist and the longboat operator were rescued.
A rescuer from the speedboat jumped into the rough seas and swam to the tourist clinging to the capsized longboat and gave them life vests. They were then hauled by rope to the safety of speedboat. The rescuers said the young Chinese girl was severely traumatized.
The tourists were taken to Phuket where they received medical treatment and then released. The Thai longboat operator is facing charges for unsafe operation of a boat and for not having the required life safety equipment.
According to the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association, safety briefings should be given to tourists before they depart on tours, and that visitors follow their own common sense, avoiding boats that are overcrowded and badly maintained.
On average, 20 people die in boat accidents each year, many of them due to badly maintained speedboats that shuttle tourists between the islands along the coast. They are frequently overcrowded and staffed poorly trained operators and crew.
The agencies in charge of regulating safety and licensing tourist boats, such as the Maritime Police, are frequently understaffed, with inadequate resources.
Tourists Being Rescued in the Phi Phi Islands
Many Tourists Choosing to Explore Thailand with a Campervan
Authorities on Thailand’s resort island of Phuket report an American man and a Thai woman were found dead on Mai Khao beach on Monday, and a Russian man drowned off Phuket’s Surin beach on Sunday.
According to Police, local villagers alerted authorities that two bodies had washed ashore on a beach in Thalang district.
Phuket police identified the deceased American man as Mr. James Newman, 45, the Thai woman as identified as Ms. Waranya, 49, a nurse from Surin. The police officer also did not reveal the relationship between the two.
Investigators discovered no evidence of violence against them, he added. According to preliminary findings, they booked into a hotel in Mai Khao on Sunday.
Phuket police believe the two were swimming when one was washed away from the beach by the strong tide while the other attempted to help but was unsuccessful. The victims bodies were taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for autopsies.
Mr. Newman became the second American to drown is Phuket in less than two weeks. Last Tuesday, Mr. James Du Bois was discovered washed ashore at Nai Harn Beach in Muang District (main city) of Phuket.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Russian Mr.Apostolov Aleksei, 64, drowned near Surin Beach in Thalang. Police stated that there were no traces of violence on Aleksei’s body. The Russian man had stayed in a condominium in Tha Lang. His body was also taken to the Vachira Phuket Hospital.
Tourists Drowning in Phuket
Lifeguards in Phuket have cautioned beach goers to be extremely wary of rough seas and posted red flags on sites deemed hazardous for swimmers. Phuket, a renowned tourist destination in Thailand, has had a disturbing number of drowning deaths. This tropical paradise, famous for its beautiful beaches, draws millions of visitors each year.
But the attraction of its clear waters conceals major perils. Many vacationers overlook the power of rip tides and the unpredictable weather patterns. Lifeguards do their best, but they are frequently understaffed. Warning signs and flags are often ignored or misunderstood, resulting in tragic incidents. The lack of awareness and respect for the ocean’s power is a major contributing element.
Poor swimming ability and alcohol consumption can add to the problem. Local governments have worked to improve safety measures, but the answer lies in better education and tougher enforcement.
Tourists must accept personal responsibility for their safety and obey all cautions. Every drowning death in Phuket serves as a sharp warning that nature’s beauty may suddenly become lethal if not treated with caution and respect.
The Central Investigation Bureau police detained over 90 Russians in Phuket, Thailand during a crackdown on nominee companies, with assets valued at more than 1.5 billion baht taken.
Part of the operation, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) commissioner Pol Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej said on Friday, police from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECSD) searched accounting and real estate companies in the island province.
There are currently charges pending against 135 people and 96 juristic people.
Pol Gen Jirabhop stated of the people, 37 Thais served as nominees for foreign firms and 98 foreign nationals, the majority of them being Russians. The people were subsequently released on bond.
The foreign suspects were accused of operating companies by eschewing or breaking the law, and of having Thais or other non-foreign nationals assist or co-run companies that foreigners were not authorized to operate.
Pol Gen Jirabhop charged the Thai suspects with providing assistance or support to foreign nationals operating enterprises without the necessary legal authorization.
Land and Assets in Phuket
Along with 196 passports, 108 work permits, documents pertaining to the formation of 800 companies, 1,601 company stamps, four electronic devices, and other items, seized during the crackdown were 225 bank accounts with 319 million baht in circulation, 245 land documents.
Including those for 96 condominium units worth about 1 billion baht and 43 title deeds covering 24 rai of land worth about 200 million baht. Police estimated the assets taken were worth more than 1.5 billion baht.
When locals protested to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin that foreign nationals—mostly Russians—had been operating enterprises and purchasing a lot of residential properties and land plots at astronomically high rates, the police operation was started.
According to Pol Gen Jirabhop, one of the activities that cost Thais jobs and harmed the economy was the operation of tour-related companies owned by foreign nationals.
The prime minister next gave acting national police commander Kitrat Panphet instructions to designate the appropriate agencies to look into the matter.
An inquiry by the CIB’s ECSD later revealed that, since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in early 2022, 59,717 Russian nationals had entered Phuket. They reported an incredibly high 1,603 new company registrations in the province.
ECSD commander Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet Boonkraphue cited instances of companies involving a single foreign woman, solely named Iana, 45.
She was discovered to be an executive and shareholder in nine companies, with a 38 million baht total registered capital: seven real estate companies, one service company, and one tour company.
Fake Company Nominees
The chief of ECSD said that the firms were occupying three opulent apartment and condominium developments valued at more than 900 million baht.
The detectives discovered that Ms. Iana was nominated by a Thai woman going by the name Trithip. Additionally discovered to be nominees for 272 companies were Ms. Trithip and other Thai citizens. There were Thai shareholders solely in 142, and both Thai and international shareholders were present in the others.
Later, Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet stated, the detectives collected evidence to ask the court for permission to arrest people engaged in nominee businesses.
Ms. Trithip acknowledged under inquiry that she was employed to act as a nominee for 30,000 to 50,000 baht each company.
Pol Maj Gen Phutthidet reported that 85 foreign nationals had already received summonses from the investigators to answer allegations of exploiting Thai nominees. He said that the probe is being continued.
Russians looking for sun and water have come to love Phuket. The island’s mild weather and laid-back way of life appeal to many. Russian visitors and residents can be seen frequently taking advantage of the lively nightlife and stunning beaches.
Some of them have even launched their own companies, which boosts the local economy. Growing Russian population in Phuket is fostering a little but active cross-cultural interaction. Even though Phuket is far from home, its kind people and wide range of activities provide them comfort.
Source: Bangkok Post
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