Villagers trying to sell their clay pots to the patients of the Kru (All photos: Koh Santepheap)
The price of the clay pots dropped after the authority stopped the operation on 19 August.Thursday, August 19, 2010
By Kang Kallyann
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Alain de Veng
Click here to read the article in French
For several days now, thousands of villagers have flocked to the village of Sala Lek 5, attracted by the miraculous healing sessions organized by a group of women who claim to be able to make contact with spirits.
The cops asked the shamans (Krus) who are organizing the gathering in the village of Sala Lek 5 (O'Russey commune, Kampong Tralach district) to stop their operations, an observer on the spot told Cambodge Soir Hebdo.
Thousands of people, most of them sick , met for the past several days in front of the house of the Krus who are supposedly able to provide cure through a magic process that involves communicating with spirits.
The patients must first buy a clay pot at a cost of about 14,000 riels (~$3.50) and fill it with glutinous rice, rice bran and mung beans.
The Kru would then perform a prayer in front of the pot and then plant incense sticks in it. While they do not bill for the service, voluntary donations are accepted.
Many sellers have tried to take advantage of this opportunity by setting up roadside stalls near the Kru’s home selling clay pots, a local craft ware that Kampong Chhnang is famous for.
Six other women-Krus have also set up shops nearby, they ensured that they possess the same healing power.
They told people that twelve ghosts from the same fraternity from around the world have gathered in the district of Kampong Tralach to help sick people.
"I arrived in the village on Saturday 19 August because my fiancee had a stiff neck. I bought the clay pot, but I was very suspicious, and I expressed my doubts to the woman-Kru during the ceremony. The next night, I felt a pain in my chest, I was scared, and in my head, I apologized to the Kru," claimed Saroeun , a young man of twenty, who traveled from Phnom Penh.
"I am educated and I do not believe in shamans. But there, as I waited for my turn, I saw a woman who sold porridge entering into a trance. Suddenly, she threw the content of the porridge pot on the ground. She seemed possessed by spirits," Saroeun said.
When asked about the measures taken to prevent disorder , Mov Sokhon , police chief of Kampong Tralach district, declined to answer questions from Cambodge Soir Hebdo.
The cops asked the shamans (Krus) who are organizing the gathering in the village of Sala Lek 5 (O'Russey commune, Kampong Tralach district) to stop their operations, an observer on the spot told Cambodge Soir Hebdo.
Thousands of people, most of them sick , met for the past several days in front of the house of the Krus who are supposedly able to provide cure through a magic process that involves communicating with spirits.
The patients must first buy a clay pot at a cost of about 14,000 riels (~$3.50) and fill it with glutinous rice, rice bran and mung beans.
The Kru would then perform a prayer in front of the pot and then plant incense sticks in it. While they do not bill for the service, voluntary donations are accepted.
Many sellers have tried to take advantage of this opportunity by setting up roadside stalls near the Kru’s home selling clay pots, a local craft ware that Kampong Chhnang is famous for.
Six other women-Krus have also set up shops nearby, they ensured that they possess the same healing power.
They told people that twelve ghosts from the same fraternity from around the world have gathered in the district of Kampong Tralach to help sick people.
"I arrived in the village on Saturday 19 August because my fiancee had a stiff neck. I bought the clay pot, but I was very suspicious, and I expressed my doubts to the woman-Kru during the ceremony. The next night, I felt a pain in my chest, I was scared, and in my head, I apologized to the Kru," claimed Saroeun , a young man of twenty, who traveled from Phnom Penh.
"I am educated and I do not believe in shamans. But there, as I waited for my turn, I saw a woman who sold porridge entering into a trance. Suddenly, she threw the content of the porridge pot on the ground. She seemed possessed by spirits," Saroeun said.
When asked about the measures taken to prevent disorder , Mov Sokhon , police chief of Kampong Tralach district, declined to answer questions from Cambodge Soir Hebdo.
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