Thai demand for amulets escalates with drug war

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's crackdown on drugs, during which hundreds of suspected dealers have died, has boosted the market for amulets believed to offer magical protection against bullets and other violence.

Metal or clay talismans, often picturing Buddhist symbols or monks and worn on a neck chain, are a staple of Thai culture. But amulet sellers say business has accelerated since Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government launched its war on drugs, seeking to stem an epidemic of methamphetamine trafficking and abuse.

At least 500 drug suspects have died -- apparently killed by competing dealers or police -- since the crackdown began Feb. 1.

"Amulet collection has become fashionable lately," Lek Pongpanich, a 56-year-old dealer at Bangkok's Ta Prachan market, said Thursday.

Many Thais wear amulets, but they are especially popular with people who consider themselves at physical risk -- including police officers and criminals. It is not unusual to see someone wearing a dozen or more at once.

The trade can be incredibly lucrative.

"There's nothing wrong with paying as much as 10 million baht" or $232,000, for an amulet, said Supachai Ruangsan-ngarmsiri, a well-known trader at Ta Prachan, one of the city's oldest amulet markets. "Especially if it's made by a highly revered monk or has a history of protecting the wearer from bullets or car crashes."

Lek hunched over his wares while explaining their alleged origins and powers to a group of men. After more than an hour, the men bought several amulets for tens of thousands of dollars -- in cash.

"It's not often that we have customers like that," Lek said.

Asked how one might spot a criminal shopping for magical protection, one collector, who identified himself only as Kometh, said, "They don't bargain and tend to believe everything a seller says."

Serious collectors generally know the price range for each type of amulet and will bargain, he said.

"But you know what? From my experience, a good talisman will not stay with a bad guy for long. Something will happen in a way that the owner will lose it or it just doesn't work on him," Kometh said.

Amulets also have a practical use for criminals beyond protection. When traded on the underground market, experts say, they can be used to launder money from illicit activities.