One of Thailand's most haunted places

[reader]

Veteran tourists have come to appreciate that the belief in ghosts is not some Halloween fun to Thai people. It's an ancient part of their culture. This article reminds us that we pass over revered ground every time to enter and leave the Kingdom.

From The Mirror

By Steven White

For many visitors flying to Thailand there is good chance they will inadvertently pass through one of the country's most haunted locations.

Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) just outside the capital city of Bangkok, a major tourist hotspot, opened in 2006 and has since had many ghostly sightings in it as well as fatal accidents.

Right from international airport's beginnings, an oversight meant that many of its construction workers did not know it was being built on top of an ancient cemetery.

Some of them reportedly refused to work and quit there on the spot once they knew - because they were too frightened to continue.

While it was being built, which is estimated to have cost more than $4bn, workers said they could hear screams and wails around them.

The exorcism ceremony was full of chanting and prayers and took nine weeks to complete.

One dramatic moment at the end of it saw a baggage handler stumbling through the throngs of people watching the monks and claiming to be the guardian of the cemetery, Poo Ming.

The holy men duly blessed the young man so that he could return back to normal.

However the lingering ghost of Poo Ming, who is said to be blue in colour, refuses to leave the airport and is often seen in the guise of an old man with a walking stick.

He, along with other demons, are believed to stalk the terminals.

Sometime they possess people within the vicinity and allegedly cause accidents and even suicides.

Airports of Thailand, which owns BKK, built glass barriers in more elevated terminals to stop people from jumping down and killing themselves.

Many people have reported seeing the apparition of pale lady carrying a baby who regularly causes accidents by stepping in front of drivers and scaring them.

One person alleged he could hear classical Thai music being played - although there was nowhere obvious it could have been coming from.

During BKK's official opening the authorities even brought in 99 Buddhist monks to appease any untoward spirits away.

It is said that the person who rented the car was killed years ago and now haunts the area - people place flowers by the vehicle as an offering to the unrestful spirit.

In 2013 a plane landing at BKK lost control and veered off the runway.

Luckily there were no serious injuries to anyone and it was concluded that it was the result of malfunctioning landing gear underneath the plane.

However, the Thai Airways managing director blamed it on ghosts at the time and went as far as saying that a ghost flight attendant helped passengers off the plane.

Another, more serious accident happened in 2018 when a landing plane again skidded off the runway and injured 14 people.

Malignant spirits were accused of playing a part in the incident once more.

Thailand is a country entrenched in the belief of ghosts and one effort to maintain the afterlife within BKK is through the building of spirit houses.

There, many Thai-based airlines conduct group prayer sessions where people can leave offerings to the dead.

One popular gift is strawberry Fanta as the drink is thought to be a favourite of ghosts due to its bright red colouring.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, reader said:

One popular gift is strawberry Fanta as the drink is thought to be a favourite of ghosts due to its bright red colouring.

oh, so in absence of strawberry Fanta, member card of Chinese Communist Party will do ?

You are right about ghost believe entrenched in Thai culture.

Now I'm watching , with delight I haste to say , KinnPorshe BL series and surely enough  in the middle of the series they introduced ghost which changed substantially tone of the plot, so far skillful mixture of crime and love stories.

On my last trip , after my ST guy left  past midnight I decided to bring another bed warmer , by coincidence staying in the same hotel. Thinking I'm cracking a joke I told him I need somebody for rest of the night because I'm afraid of ghosts if sleep alone. Instead of expected paternalizing smile ' what an old fool " actually his gaze seemed understanding. 

[Mavica]

Don't the Thai specific topics belong in the Thailand forum?

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Mavica said:

Don't the Thai specific topics belong in the Thailand forum?

probably yes but since we have only Gay Thailand forum and we not sure if airport ghosts are gay,  most likely reader, OP did not want to risk their wrath and took secure road by placing it here. After all, ghosts , gay or not , can be everywhere , no ?