Buddhist monks apologized to the spirits and asked them to ward off all bad luck in preparations yesterday for the opening of Bangkok's new international airport next week.
Despite more than 40 years of planning, a welter of corruption scandals and most recently a military coup, officials confirmed that Suvarnabhumi International Airport would be ready for full domestic and international service on Thursday.
Just to be sure, 99 monks and Brahmin priests were called in to perform a ceremony at the new facility 32km east of Bangkok.
Chotisak Aspaviriya, head of the Airports Authority of Thailand, said the ceremony was staged to apologize to the spirits of the land for any offenses committed during the construction of the airport, along with the spirits of animals who died on what was once swampland infested with snakes and other creatures.
The monks and priests also asked the spirits to grant them use of the airport and ensure its prosperity. Despite their adherence to Buddhism, Thais are still deeply worshipful of animist spirits and Hindu deities that have nothing to do with the formal religion.
"Up to this moment I can still reassure you that the airport is 100 percent ready for commercial flight operations from September 28," airport manager Somchai Sawasdeepon said.
Officials said earlier that last week's military coup which toppled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would not affect the scheduled opening. Touted as a key Asian air hub, the flashy airport is expected to accommodate as many as 45 million passengers a year.
Thaksin held up the airport as one of the landmark achievements of his regime despite the incessant scandals that continued to plagued the project, including alleged corruption in the purchase of baggage scanners.
A report on that affair is due to be released next week as part of a slew of investigations into wrongdoings under Thaksin over the past five years.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was