Black magic for beginners
2002-04-06 16:12
Bangkok, Thailand - A school in rural Thailand for black magic has attracted hundreds of students who want to learn love potions, magic verses to ward off ghosts and body tattoos that can stop bullets, its founder said.
"I want to pass all of my knowledge to new generations," said Harn Raksajit (42) in a telephone interview on Saturday. "Black magic is an intellectual heritage from our ancestors but it is about to die because of modern science."
Harn, a self-described "guru" of black magic, opened the school two months ago in the village of Nong Sarai, 90 kilometres northeast of Bangkok.
He said that he has signed up hundreds of students, who are charged only what they can afford to pay - and can even learn for free.
"I just want to prove to the world that black magic is a real thing and that I'm also a real guru of black magic, not just a con man," he said.
When he isn't sharing his spells and concoctions, Harn runs a black magic consultancy for those who want supernatural solutions to their problems. A neighbour, Boonme Manakong, said that Harn is visited by as many as 50 clients a day, including foreign tourists.
"I help people who are in misery, who fall in love with someone who does not love them, those who are bullied by enemies, cheated by wives or husbands, or just having a bad time in life," Harn said. "With my magic, all problems are quickly solved."
Jalied for six months
But Harn's professed magic failed to solve his own problems with authorities in Thailand five years ago, when local newspapers ran a picture of him using a baby's corpse to make a gruesome love potion.
He was jailed for six months for illegally disposing of a corpse and ordered to stop practising black magic for five years. The ban ended last November, opening the way for him to start teaching his craft.
Many Thais are superstitious, and those in rural areas sometimes seek the services of spiritual healers when they feel burdened by misfortune.
In recent years, public figures seeking to make a point in a manner that will attract media attention have turned to placing curses.
Last February the governor of Bangkok made headlines for placing a curse on city policemen who ignored his order to stop extorting money from street vendors. - Sapa-AP
- SAPA