Chinese still flock to 'lucky' Bangkok shrine hit by blast

Two weeks on from the Bangkok bombing, the shrine devastated by the attack has lost none of its lustre for ethnic Chinese devotees who have long flocked there hoping their prayers will be answered.

The statue of Hinduism's four-faced god Brahma is currently shrouded on all sides by a white sheet as artisans restore damage caused by shrapnel from the bomb blast which struck on a busy Monday evening a fortnight ago.

The attack cut down 20 people, mostly ethnic Chinese from across Asia, turning a serene place of worship into a warzone vignette.

But Shen Lin, a tourist from China's southern Guangdong province, said the attack would never stop him coming to a place he tries to visit every time he passes through the Thai capital.

"People pray for wealth, and some pray to give birth to a boy," he told AFP Monday as devotees prayed with incense sticks clasped in their hands and placed marigolds around the shrine.

"I've been here more than ten times. I bring my friends here," he added.

Chen Bing-bing, a 26-year-old designer from the mainland, said her family were anxious about her going to Bangkok.

"But I think it's okay," she said in Mandarin.
"After it (the bomb) happened, they increased security here. And I think each person has his or her own destiny, so I don't worry too much," she added.

The Erawan shrine, which sits at the foot of a luxury hotel, was built in 1956 to appease superstitious construction workers after a series of workplace mishaps.

It is beloved by locals in a country where the majority Buddhist faith has long absorbed Hinduism's traditions and many of its pantheon of gods.

But in recent years ethnic Chinese devotees have also flocked to the shrine, partially fuelled by glowing reports from Hong Kong and mainland celebrities who say the shrine granted them good fortune.

The shrine is so popular among that demographic that many of the attendants who sweep away the marigolds and incense sticks speak competent Mandarin and Cantonese.

Thai authorities have played down any suggestion the attack was launched by international terrorists or specifically targeted Chinese tourists.

Speculation has grown over involvement by China's ethnic Uighur Muslim minority, or their co-religious sympathisers, after Thailand forcibly deported more than 100 Uighur refugees last month to an uncertain fate in China.

But Chinese worshippers at the shrine Monday said they did not believe they had been singled out.

"It's just a rumour," said Wu Kun, a mainland tourist.

"We don't hear any official news about whether it's an attack targeted to Chinese or not. I don't care too much," he added.
Source: AFP