AS IT IS 2016-02-01 Thai Officials Worry About Child Doll Superstition

AS IT IS 2016-02-01 Thai Officials Worry About Child Doll Superstition¹

It’s the biggest craze in Thailand. 

Life-size dolls believed to possess the spirits of child angels have become popular in recent months.

The dolls, known in Thai as luk thep, are believed to bring good fortune. These dolls are purchased for hundreds of dollars and are blessed by Buddhist² monks³. Many owners attend to the dolls as if they are their children.

Shops are selling clothing, jewelry⁴ and beauty treatments for the dolls. A buffet⁵ restaurant in the Thai capital, Bangkok, offers them children's meals.

But the privileges spent on them have also drawn⁶ concern and warning from authorities and psychologists in Thailand.

Nattasuda Taephant is director of psychological wellness at Chulalongkorn University. She says if the dolls help their owners feel better, then the fad⁷ is rather harmless.

"But if it crosses the boundary of reality, and they believe they can talk to the luk thep doll, that would be something concerning in terms of mental health," she said.

Thai mental health officials have issued an appeal for people to stick to mainstream⁸ religious values and reject such unbelievable things. But the belief is rooted in ancient Southeast Asian superstitions⁹.

Traditionally, when babies were stillborn, some spiritual leaders in Thailand and other countries in the region took the babies away. They roasted the bodies, blessed them, and covered them in gold leaf. In Thailand, such household divine effigies¹⁰ are known as kuman thong¹¹ for male figures and hong phrai for female ones.

The practice has mostly stopped. But the dolls might represent a return to a more superstitious¹² age.

"I'm really wondering how part of Thai society has come to this point," said Sermsuk Kasitpradit, a veteran editor and popular blogger.

"As a Buddhist I am feeling much shame as it is totally against the teaching of our Lord Buddha¹³ who preached not to believe in superstition," Sermsuk told VOA.

Others worry that the modern incarnations may be put to evil use, according to authorities.

Nearly 200 "yaba" methamphetamine pills were found Monday stuffed into the chest of a girl doll. The doll had been placed in a suitcase for retrieval in the airport at Chiang Mai, said police Lt. Col. Kom Chetkhuntod.

Another police official said the dolls give criminals "a new way to smuggle¹⁴ drugs, into the country. Now, all officers at airport and border checkpoint are instructed to screen dolls.

Police officers on Tuesday carried out raids in Bangkok against doll vendors¹⁵ suspected of avoiding import taxes.

Three vendors were arrested and authorities seized more than 100 luk thep dolls, mostly imported from China.

Words in This Story

fortune – n. the good and bad things that happen to someone

fad – n. something that is very popular for a short time

boundary – n. something that shows where an area ends and another area begins

superstition –n. a belief that certain events or things will bring good or bad luck

effigy¹⁶ – n. an image of a person

incarnation – n. one of a series of lives that a person is believed to have had in the past in some religions

1 superstition   

n.迷信，迷信行为

参考例句：

• It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
• Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。

2 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

3 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

5 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

8 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

9 superstitions   

迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Old superstitions seem incredible to educated people. 旧的迷信对于受过教育的人来说是不可思议的。
• Do away with all fetishes and superstitions. 破除一切盲目崇拜和迷信。

10 effigies   

n.（人的）雕像，模拟像，肖像( effigy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• stone effigies in the church 教堂里的石雕像
• On 5 November British children burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. 每逢11月5日英国儿童都焚烧盖伊．福克斯的模拟像。 来自辞典例句

11 thong   

n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带

参考例句：

• He fastened the dog to the post with a thong.他用一根皮带把狗拴到柱子上。
• If I switch with Harry,do I have to wear a thong?如果我和哈里调换，我应该穿皮带吗？

12 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。

13 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

14 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

15 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

16 effigy   

n.肖像

参考例句：

• There the effigy stands,and stares from age to age across the changing ocean.雕像依然耸立在那儿，千秋万载地凝视着那变幻无常的大海。
• The deposed dictator was burned in effigy by the crowd.群众焚烧退位独裁者的模拟像。