Thailand arrests leader of a bizarre cult

The National newspaper quoted Chaiyaphum Governor Kraisorn Kongchalard on May 9 as saying that the man mentioned above was only identified as Thawee, 74 years old, a resident of Nong Rua district, Khon Kaen province.

Thawee was arrested on May 8 after the famous shaman Jiraphan Phetkhao led police and authorities to raid a campsite located in the forest of a village in Tambon Dong Klang, Chaiyaphum province.

Mr. Thawee was arrested on May 8. Photo: The Nation

Mr. Jiraphan once claimed to possess special powers that could help those affected by superstition, and ran a program against “false magicians and monks who violate the religious law”.

According to Jiraphan, a woman named Jenjira, 53, turned to him for help after her mother, Noi, 80, went to the campsite and was “not allowed to return home”. Ms. Jenjira said Thawee asked his followers to “eat his waste” because they “can cure all diseases”.

When police and authorities entered the campsite, they found about 30 worshipers surrounding Mr. Thawee, most of them middle-aged and elderly. They lived together in a wooden hut with a thatched roof. No one wears a mask to protect themselves from Covid-19.

All believers think that Mr. Thawee is “a father, god”, can “cure all diseases”.

In addition, police also found 11 bodies, including Mr. Thawee’s mother, at the campsite. Those are the sick people who came to see Mr. Thawee for treatment but did not survive. All bodies had death certificates issued by local authorities, wrapped in bags and placed inside coffins.

Governor Kraisorn said Thawee was charged with encroaching on forest land, violating public health regulations and the Disease Control Act. This person is being detained at Khon San police station for investigation.