Last Week in Reality: Nov 22-29

December 4th, 2007

22 THU

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, a mysterious skeleton is found under a tree. Wachira, a construction worker, is searching for a bird indigenous to the region in bushes near the construction site where he works. He stumbles upon a skeleton in a sitting position, under a big tree. On the ground, two meters from the body, lies a skull. Police suspect that the skeleton may belong to a male who hung himself from the tree; it is sent to forensics for testing.

In Bangkok, two men are arrested for running an online sex shop. Soiyikyik.com sells dildos, artificial vaginas, viagra and other stimulating drugs. The police track down the owners of the website, Nathawoot, 24, and Akom, 29, and arrest them at Tesco Lad Prao. Both admit to running the website and claim most of their customers are lesbians and widows.

23 FRI

In Chumpon, the ceiling of a local school collapses under the weight of bat excrement. Students and teachers of Choomchon Baan Khao Luang are gathered in the schoolyard for the morning assembly when a loud noise erupts from the building. Rushing to the scene, they discover the ceiling has collapsed under heaps of bat dung. Wiwat Rouysakul, the school director, says that the bats originate from a nearby cave and there could be up to 10,000 bats hiding in the ceiling of the school. While the school awaits reparation, the students relocate to a temporary building.

27 TUE

In Nakhon Ratchasima, an ascetic sits in boiling coconut oil for 30 minutes. As part of a ceremony to produce amulets of the god Ganesh, Sompis, 58, a rue see, steps into a pan filled with boiling coconut oil and water and sits in it for 30 minutes. When he leaves the pan and removes his robe, there are no visible burn marks to his skin. Onlookers are amazed, but some claim that his miracle was nothing but a stunt.

29 THU

In Chiang Rai, a 37-year-old man is arrested for defrauding business owners of meals, cash and services. Chetsadaporn Chaiyo claims to be the owner of a television program. Hoping for coverage on the show, restaurant owners let him eat for free; in some cases the alleged grifter collects money for advertisements, as well. He is caught after an angry restaurant owner notifies police of the scam. Chetsadaporn claims his innocence.