Buriram Worker Possessed by Ghost, Crew Plans Merit Ceremony

Buriram – A hair-raising incident occurred on a Buddhist holy day when a construction worker claimed a mysterious man appeared to him for three days before a colleague exhibited signs of spirit possession, speaking in a deep voice: "I am Mae Khao. Tell the green-shirted one to come ask for forgiveness from me right now." This happened after the worker had expressed disbelief in ghosts.

The husband of the affected woman admitted he previously did not believe in spirits but changed his mind after the event. Meanwhile, the construction team brought pictures of the deceased to burn incense and ask for forgiveness, intending to make merit and dedicate merit to the departed.

The story was shared on the Facebook page of "Hia Tik Bunchoen," owner of the Bunchoen Construction Company, who posted a clip of the incident inside the worker dormitory in Ban Sap Kaning, Non Din Daeng Subdistrict, Non Din Daeng District, Buriram Province. Reporters visited the site to verify the facts.

Natthaphong Em-ot, 30, the foreman, said he and a team of eight workers were hired to build a house, working on foundation structures, and rented the aforementioned house as accommodation, about 500 meters from the construction site. On the evening of the recent holy day, after returning from the site and staying in the house, one of the workers, Thong Ho, 54, suddenly showed abnormal symptoms resembling spirit possession. Colleagues restrained her while he filmed and tried to question what happened.

During this, the woman spoke in a deep voice: "I am Mae Kaow. Tell the green-shirted one to come ask for forgiveness from me," adding that the other party did not believe ghosts exist. When apologies were offered and acknowledgment made of possible unintentional offenses, the symptoms gradually subsided and she returned to normal conversation.

After the incident, neighbors who heard the story said this house was previously the residence of a woman villagers called "Mae Khao," who died of old age. Her son died from electrocution while working in the south, and her husband had passed away long ago.

Natthaphong added that after the event, he informed the company owner and received permission to publicize the story, with plans to hold a forgiveness ceremony and make merit for the deceased. Inside the house's wardrobe, clothes and photos of Mae Khao and her son were still kept.

Supranee, a construction worker, said about three days before the incident, she saw a man resembling the person in the photographs appear, showing only the upper half of his body, standing inside the house and staring silently. She witnessed this for three consecutive days but did not tell anyone.

Until the holy day of October 18, she recounted what she had seen to colleagues, but someone spoke up saying they did not believe in ghosts and thought ghosts were not real. After returning from work that evening, the incident with Thong Ho occurred, showing symptoms of possession as seen in the clip. She affirmed she would also make merit for the deceased.

Thong Ho, the woman who showed abnormal symptoms in the clip, said she was preparing to bathe when she suddenly felt irritated before the incident occurred without her awareness. After watching the clip later, she saw what happened to herself, confirming she had never experienced anything like this before. She added that normally when working at various construction sites, they would always inform the land spirits and ask for forgiveness first, and would now make merit for the deceased.

Thirapong, Thong Ho's husband, revealed that previously he did not believe ghosts were real. After hearing workers talk about what they had seen, and then witnessing his wife's condition, his perspective changed.