A village in Thailand has become so concerned about a purported ghost lurking in their midst that they have enlisted the help of police to patrol the streets.
Residents say that they have been plagued by the presence of an entity known as a 'phi pob,' which is an infamous ghost in Thai folklore that can allegedly possess people.
The phi pob is also said to be able to torment a whole village with its presence, which appears to be the case in this instance, whether the spirit is real or not.
Following the death of four cows in the village as well as an unexplained illness that befell four police academy students, residents have become convinced that their community is harboring a phi pob.
Much like the village in India gripped with fear over a 'mystery creature' thought to be feasting on their sheep, the widespread panic over the phi pob has forced community leaders to reach out to the authorities for help.
In a letter to the Thai Royal Police, the authors ask for increased patrols of their village in order to "strengthen civilian morale, prevent panic and boost their confidence in living their daily lives."
Rather than dismiss the request as simply silly superstition run amok, Thai police are actually taking the issue seriously and sent additional personnel to the village for more patrols.
"The people who believe in the rumor are genuinely scared," one official told the website Khaosod English, "There are more people who believe in it than those who don't."
Whether the intervention of Thai police will help to calm the fears of the villagers remains to be seen, but for the cops sent to the area to search for the ghost, we're guessing its a pretty sweet gig unless you really do run into a phi pob.
Source: Khaosod English
Residents say that they have been plagued by the presence of an entity known as a 'phi pob,' which is an infamous ghost in Thai folklore that can allegedly possess people.
The phi pob is also said to be able to torment a whole village with its presence, which appears to be the case in this instance, whether the spirit is real or not.
Following the death of four cows in the village as well as an unexplained illness that befell four police academy students, residents have become convinced that their community is harboring a phi pob.
Much like the village in India gripped with fear over a 'mystery creature' thought to be feasting on their sheep, the widespread panic over the phi pob has forced community leaders to reach out to the authorities for help.
In a letter to the Thai Royal Police, the authors ask for increased patrols of their village in order to "strengthen civilian morale, prevent panic and boost their confidence in living their daily lives."
Rather than dismiss the request as simply silly superstition run amok, Thai police are actually taking the issue seriously and sent additional personnel to the village for more patrols.
"The people who believe in the rumor are genuinely scared," one official told the website Khaosod English, "There are more people who believe in it than those who don't."
Whether the intervention of Thai police will help to calm the fears of the villagers remains to be seen, but for the cops sent to the area to search for the ghost, we're guessing its a pretty sweet gig unless you really do run into a phi pob.
Source: Khaosod English
