PHUKET, THAILAND – A foreign man was filmed taking food and drink offerings from a spirit house in Kata. The video sparked a furious debate: theft or charity?
The CCTV footage shows the man checking if anyone is watching before grabbing a plastic tray with food and a bottled drink. He wears a purple-orange long-sleeve shirt, dark blue shorts, glasses, and trainers, carrying two plastic bags.
Man takes offerings from spirit house
The man first walks along the road then heads to a spirit house outside a home in Kata, Karon subdistrict. He looks around, then takes a small plastic tray with food and what looks like a bottled drink.
At a second spirit house nearby he finds no offerings and walks away. The entire incident was captured on surveillance camera.
Video sparks divided reactions
Facebook user Bank Marlboro posted the video online. He said the incident happened in front of a friend’s house in Kata.
The incident happened in front of a friend’s house in Kata.
said Bank Marlboro, Facebook user.
Some viewers called the act theft regardless of the items’ value. Others argued that leaving food for a needy person could be seen as a good deed.
Jokes about ghostly revenge
Many reacted with humour. They joked that the spirits might follow the foreigner home and demand their offerings back.
The man’s identity remains unknown. It is also unclear whether any official complaint has been filed with authorities.
Past incidents at spirit houses
This case joins a string of similar incidents involving foreign visitors and Thai spirit houses. In Bangkok, a foreign man drew attention after exposing himself and urinating into a small basin in front of a spirit house.
In May 2022, a foreign woman used a table in front of a spirit house as a shelf, unaware it held offerings. In May 2023, a tourist was criticised for using a spirit house at the White Temple in Chiang Rai as a backdrop for a photo with Barbie dolls.