A 37 year old Myanmar national was detained by police in Samut Prakan around midnight today, June 29, after a fire destroyed the corrugated iron shelter he had been living in. The man told police a spirit had started the blaze.
Police at Phra Samut Chedi station received a report of the fire at midnight. Three fire trucks, one from Laem Fa Pha subdistrict municipality and two from Bangkok civil defence volunteers, were called to the plot, a private land of more than 20 rai, in Phra Samut Chedi district, Samut Prakan.
Officers were unable to enter the land until the landowner was contacted to unlock the gate. After which, firefighters extinguished the blaze in approximately 10 minutes.
The fire had gutted a makeshift shelter built around a container frame measuring two metres wide by four metres long, with flat corrugated sheeting on all four sides and a latched door. All of the occupant’s belongings inside were destroyed.
Police detained Yi Win Miu at the scene. According to police, he had been the sole caretaker of the property for seven to eight months. Officers noted he was initially incoherent during questioning. A drug screening test came back negative.
Yi Win Miu told police, speaking in Thai, that the date was one on which spirits released from the underworld return to visit their families, and that relatives are expected to burn offerings including clothing, bedding and personal items for the spirits’ use.
He said he had gathered clothing and other items in preparation for such a ritual but had not yet lit them. He claimed to have witnessed the spirit of his deceased elder brother ignite the pile himself, before walking away as the fire took hold.
Police charged Yi Win Miu with illegal entry into Thailand under immigration laws. A separate charge of arson has not yet been filed, as police said this would depend on whether the landowner or another affected party submits a formal complaint.
The case has been referred to investigating officers for further proceedings.
In a similar story, a 59 year old man in Khon Kaen was arrested in June after allegedly beating a friend to death with a hammer following a day of drinking together, accusing the victim of being a Phi Pop, a cannibalistic spirit in Thai folklore.
The victim died at the hospital after being struck approximately 20 times. The accused was charged with assault causing death, and the case is proceeding through the legal process.
The story Samut Prakan fire blamed on ghost by land caretaker as seen on Thaiger News.
