Chief of feces-eating cult arrested after 11 lifeless bodies found throughout raid

Thai police raided the compound of a suspected cult leader in Chaiyaphum province on Sunday, discovering at the least 11 our bodies during the search. Local authorities were able to raid the compound after the group allegedly violated land encroachment laws and broke Covid-19 restriction laws.

Legislation enforcement had already been made conscious of the group after allegations had been shared that the community had been consuming the bodily fluids of its leader. After police made their approach onto the camp grounds, police then found the remains of 11 bodies in coffins.

However, the group was solely in a position to provide dying certificates belonging to five of the 11 of the deceased. Police have ordered autopsies to be conducted to establish the causes of death of the bodies.

The suspected chief of the group has been detained for questioning, but before the arrest many of his followers attempted to cease police from arresting the elderly man throughout the raid. 

The strange group was identified in the area to conduct themselves in a religious-like manner, where devotees of the “father,” Thawee Nanra, 75, would do almost anything for the person. Some say he would force his followers to drink his urine, eat his feces, and devour dust so as to heal physical illnesses.

Cult-like groups aren't unusual in Thailand. In 2019, a ‘rape cult’ on Koh Phangan was revelaed the place feminine college students say they have been promised spiritual practice solely to be coerced into intercourse or raped by its founder. Last year, an aged monk decapitated himself with a homemade machine in an try to reincarnate as a better being. His followers helped him construct the contraption and helped him commit suicide. More widely recognized is the Dhammakaya group, a massively rich Buddhist sect that critics and former followers call a cult.

The incident has quickly gone viral on social media, with netizens sharing their disgust against the cult’s practices of consuming human waste. The Thai-language hashtag #พระบิดา (#Father) noticed over 141,000 mentions as of Monday’s afternoon.

A snippet from television reveals a girl, who seems to be a member of the cult, saying that she didn't detect any unpleasant odor whereas consuming the human waste.  

“There isn’t even an odor,” the girl remarked. “Only those with a tainted thoughts could scent it.”

"ไม่มีกลิ่นหรอกค่ะ มีแต่คนจิตไม่ดีเท่านั้นเเหละค่ะที่จะได้กลิ่น"
กูหลุดขำกับคำพูดนี้มาก ยายแกคิดได้ไง5555555555555555#พระบิดา pic.twitter.com/rNOaZJBLxq

One twitter user identified that the one who uncovered this cult was Mor Pla, a celebrity volunteer who has helped uncover suspicious spiritual circumstances, slightly than local authorities. 

“It was presupposed to be the police that raided this cult within the first place, isn’t it?,” one Twitter user questioned.

ที่งงคือทำไมถึงต้องเป็นหมอปลาที่เป็นคนประสานหรือนำสังคมไปเจอเรื่องอะไรแบบนี้ ทั้งที่คนที่ควรจะเป็นบุกไปจับ ไปเจอ หรือเปิดเผยมันควรเป็น ตร. หรือ จนท. ของรัฐ ไม่ใช่หรอ ทำไมถึงปล่อยให้มีเรื่องขนาดนี้เกิดขึ้น สุดจริงบ้านนี้เมืองนี้ #พระบิดา

A number of tweets describe what happened as a failure of Thailand’s training system, notably within the area of hygiene. “I can’t bear the thought of more than half of the nation being like this,” one other Twitter consumer wrote.
Thai Enquirer attempted to reach local police in Chaiyaphum for remark, but they did not reply by the time of publishing.

Authorities are still searching the group’s compound for different suspicious materials. That is an ongoing story and we will have more details within the coming days.