Fortuneteller to Thailand's generals: Warin Buawiratlert of Chiang Mai
Mr Warin can predict military promotions because his visions show the decorations on uniforms. Gen Prayut, Gen Sonthi & Gen Prawit have been there. They usually come in a group.
Mr Warin can predict military promotions because his visions show the decorations on uniforms. Gen Prayut, Gen Sonthi & Gen Prawit have been there. They usually come in a group.
FORTUNE-TELLING, MILITARY & POLITICS
Fortuneteller to Thailand's generals: Warin Buawiratlert
Adapted from Jitsiree Thongnoi article in Spectrum
Warin Buawiratlert, 58, is now the prime minister's fortune-teller.
Mr Warin started offering his fortune-telling services in 1994 after working 16 years as a teacher.
He gained widespread recognition during the 2006 coup when he was identified as the psychic behind General Sonthi's decision to stage the coup that overthrew Thaksin.
Fast forward to May 2014 and the coup staged by Gen Prayut, and it was Mr Warin who told the prime minister that he could run the country.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha rides an ox-drawn cart to preside over a so-called Khuang Phrachao Lanna area in Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai yesterday. The area will showcase the life of old Lanna people and is supported by respected fortune teller Warin Buawiratlert.
15-MINUTE PSYCHIC SESSIONS
Once a week, usually Wednesday morning, Mr Warin offers his services to a number of people who have booked 15-minute psychic sessions with him long in advance.
Visitors to the Wiharn Laung Pu (Holy Father Shrine) in Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai, included men in uniform, women in their twenties, housewives and a Buddhist nun.
All the guests had prepared a set of five fruits and other items, such as betel nuts, as offerings for the Holy Father Kewalan.
Mr Warin said Kewalan is the spirit of an Indian guru who lived in the Himalayan Mountains prior to the birth of Buddhism.
It is Kewalan’s spirit that Mr Warin channels.
Mr Warin is tall and lean and usually wears white as a sign of sanctity.
He believes he is the physical representation of Kewalan and sees what Kewalan wants him to see.
After receiving offerings from his visitors, Mr Warin, seated behind a small wooden table, turns to the black statue behind him that is Kewalan, lights a joss stick and starts to mumble.
He turns back to the visitors who wait to find out whether Kewalan will allow Mr Warin to see their future.
It is only with Kewalan’s permission that a vision, sometimes appearing in dreams, sometimes in daylight, is seen and interpreted by Mr Warin.
Warin Buawiratlert sits in front of his shrine, which he says is inhabited by the spirit of Indian guru Kewalan, where he meets guests looking for insights into their future.
MILITARY CLIENTELE
As Mr Warin’s predictions are often about military people and their roles serving the nation, his predictions are seen by many to have a political purpose.
His views on the relationship between the military and the nation are in line with Gen Prayut's.
At times, Mr Warin’s forecasts for the country closely resemble those of Gen Prayut.
PREDICTIONS ABOUT MILITARY PROMOTIONS
Mr. Warin gives his military officer clients predictions about their promotions, which in many cases proved to be true. This led to them coming back for more consultations along with their friends and family.
"Gen Prayut, Gen Sonthi and Gen Prawit [Wongsuwon] have been here. They usually come in a group," says one of Warin's close associates.
"...Mr Warin... can predict how high up the ranks a military officer can go because his visions show the decorations on their uniforms."
Mr Warin’s also advises clients on how to "clear up their karma".
Mr Warin does not charge his clients for his service.
However, donations can be made during the merit-making events he holds several times a year.
LANNA SHRINE
In April, Gen Prayut travelled to Chiang Mai with his younger brother, assistant army chief Preecha Chan-o-cha, Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda and the then-Natural Resources and Environment Minister Gen Dapong Ratanasuwan.
The occasion was the opening of a tourist attraction built by Mr Warin.
Baan Heed Hoi is intended as a place for young people to learn about Lanna culture.
It is situated on the same site as Khuang Phra Jao Lanna, a Buddhist shrine Mr Warin started building in 2008 and completed in 2013 with Doi Suthep mountain in the background.
The khuang, meaning lawn in the Lanna dialect, is located near Huay Tung Tao reservoir, a tourist attraction overseen by the army.
Gen Anupong, when he was the army chief, gave Mr Warin the plot of land to build the shrine.
MR. WARIN'S HOME
Mr Warin’s home and the Wiharn Laung Pu temple to honour Kewalan are located in the same structure at the Sukhito housing estate.
Not all residents of the estate are happy with Mr Warin’s presence.
In May, Pramote Samakkarn, a local administrative official and Sukhito resident, petitioned the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to look into Mr Warin’s assets.
Mr Pramote accused Mr Warin of using stories about religion and karma to earn donations.
He claimed many temples have not received donations Mr Warin promised from the fundraising events he holds.
Mr Warin has two daughters in their twenties who manage a real estate business involved in boutique hotels and housing estates in Chiang Mai.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/special-reports/690736/prayut-the-fortune-teller-and-the-ghost-of-the-guru
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