bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Tibor Krausz

Jitti Kongsupapsiri reaches into his breast pocket and takes out a small, off-white object. It is encased in a shiny gold locket with curved glass panes on the front and back.
“Take a look at this,” the Chinese-Thai trader urges as he cradles the amulet gingerly in his palm, as if his very touch posed a danger to it.
Jitti is in a hole-in-the-wall shop at the labyrinthine Tha Prachan amulet market in the oldest part of Bangkok, near a bustling pier on the Chao Phraya River. He’s about to offer a glimpse into the strange world of Thai amulets.
There are good luck charms as far as the eye can see, and medallions, pendants and Buddhist trinkets. They are for sale at rickety stands, wobbly stalls and stuffy old shops, laid out in neat rows or jumbled up in plastic baskets.


The amulets come in a variety of sizes: little-finger size, thumb size, palm size. They are round, triangular, rectangular, oval. And they come in a range of materials: plastic, ceramic, base metals, silver, gold, jade. Some are limited-edition; most have been mass-produced for sale by enterprising Thais or financially astute Buddhist monks.
They all have one thing in common: they bear stylised depictions of the Buddha or venerated monks. This feature is said to give them spiritual and magical properties.
Prospective buyers stand around stalls, bending over at the waist to peer intently at the offerings with inquisitive zeal. Once an item has caught their eye, they lift it up and proceed to inspect it through a plastic jeweller’s loupe.

They may spend minutes studying a single item even if there are numerous identical, factory-made copies of it around. Acquiring a new amulet without first examining it closely seems to be a no-no.
According to a recent poll, some 70 per cent of Thais wear Buddhist amulets to fortify themselves against the slings and arrows of capricious fortune. The country’s amulet market is the largest in the world, with estimated annual sales of 40 billion baht (US$1.26 billion).
“We’re very superstitious. We believe in amulets,” Jitti says.

A bespectacled, avuncular man in his 60s, he once lived in the United States and speaks fluent English. He could be mistaken for a college professor.
Jitti indicates a collection of amulets on offer in a display case. “Some of these are quite valuable, some are not,” he observes. “Many of them cost only a few hundred baht.”
Not so the amulet he’s holding in his hand. It costs a lot more than that: its asking price is 15 million baht. “Half a million US dollars,” Jitti repeats, sensing my surprise. “It’s the king of amulets,” he adds.

The amulet may not strike the uninitiated as particularly valuable. It’s a small, chalky tablet, the size of a matchbox but only half as thick. It bears an embossed outline of the Buddha meditating atop a tiered throne inside what seems to be an arched doorway.
Age and provenance make this item so expensive. The amulet dates from the mid-19th century and was reportedly made by Phra Somdej To. A century and a half after his death, the Buddhist monk is revered by Thais as a patron saint and images of him are ubiquitous.
“Appreciating amulets is like appreciating artworks,” Jitti says. “A painting by Van Gogh is far more valuable than a painting by an unknown artist. The same goes for amulets. Which monk made it when and where matters a lot.”

Somdej was a son of King Rama I, the founder of the current Chakri dynasty, and became a trusted adviser to King Mongkut, or Rama IV, who was played as a mercurial monarch by Yul Brynner in the 1956 Hollywood epic The King and I. The monk was said to possess magical powers with which he could pacify vengeful ghosts.
During his lifetime the monk’s royally endowed temple, which still stands on the opposite riverbank near the old amulet market, made numerous charms for his followers to protect themselves and remind them of his teachings. His amulets remain popular with Thais from all walks of life.
Replicas of them have been proliferating. Some copies are so expertly made that spotting them requires a well-trained eye. Telltale signs include minute details such as natural decay in a material.
When it’s time for you to go, not even a potent amulet can save you
Suthi Utanworapot
“You can make a copy, but it won’t look exactly the same,” Jitti says. “When I see you and your twin brother, you may look alike, but after looking more closely I can still tell you two apart.”
Palming off worthless fakes on unsuspecting customers has become a common scam at some Buddhist temples. Chinese tourists who have been flocking to Thailand are a particular target. They may be lured into shelling out minor fortunes for cheap baubles passed off as valuable antiques.
“You have to be careful with forgeries,” stresses Wor Thaprachan, an electrical engineer turned amulet seller. “If you don’t know much about amulets, you can be easily tricked.”

The prices of genuine amulets vary depending on supply and demand and their presumed potency.
The Phra Somdej amulet that Jitti has for sale is a highly prized specimen. It’s made of porous limestone mixed with rice powder. Some aficionados claim amulets like this may contain the ashes of cremated monks, their hair, or ground-up jasmine petals from phuang malai floral garlands, which are widely used as votive offerings.
A nearly identical amulet was bought for an exorbitant sum. Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the late Thai-Chinese billionaire who owned the English Premier League soccer club Leicester City, paid an eye-watering 100 million baht (US$3.2 million) for it, amulet merchants say. It’s believed to have been the priciest amulet ever sold in Thailand.
“Ultimately an amulet sells for what someone is willing to pay for it,” says Suthi Utanworapot, an “amulet master” who has been buying and selling the charms for three decades. “Its true worth comes from how much you personally value it.”


Phra Somdej amulets are especially valued because they’re believed to bestow several benefits on their owners: wealth, health, good fortune, social success and karmic merit. They’re also assumed to protect their wearers from physical harm, including road accidents.
“People surviving accidents while wearing certain amulets – that’s proof the amulets work,” says Suthi, who is covered in magical tattoos up to his neck, around which he wears several charms on a chain. “I’ve been involved in a few car accidents and I’ve always escaped unharmed,” he adds.
Some amulets can even protect their owners against knives and bullets, Suthi says. He shows an old bullet-shaped object with the image of a Buddhist monk carved into it. “Some criminals escaped many times with their lives after being shot because they wore amulets like this,” he says.

What about Vichai’s amulet, though? It may have made him even wealthier, and against all odds Leicester City, his team of underdogs, won the English Premier League in 2016. Yet in the end the amulet didn’t seem to protect Vichai. Last October the businessman died in a helicopter crash at the club’s stadium in Leicester.
When I point this out, Jitti remains unfazed. “Vichai wasn’t wearing his amulet during the accident,” he posits. In order for their protective powers to work, amulets have to be worn. They can’t protect you from a distance.
Either that or the businessman’s luck had run out. “When it’s time for you to go, not even a potent amulet can save you,” Suthi says.
A painting by Van Gogh is far more valuable than a painting by an unknown artist. The same goes for amulets. Which monk made it when and where matters a lot
Jitti Kongsupapsiri
That is why many Thais hedge their bets by hoarding amulets. Their hope is that the more amulets they have, the better their chances that at least some of their charms will work their magic.
Kob Ladkrabang, a practitioner of alternative medicine, is one such hoarder. By his own count he has around 10,000 amulets. Yet he keeps returning to amulet markets to acquire more.
He never leaves home without hundreds of his amulets on him. He wears them on thick chains around his neck, where they dangle in clunky cascades. The pockets of his sleeveless jacket also bulge with them.
Kob’s old clothes are badly frayed, but he spends hundreds of baht at a time on new amulets. “I don’t think about their price,” he says. “I like amulets.”


World’s biggest amulet market: why Thais wear so many good luck charms, and why some cost so much

An amulet for sale at a Bangkok amulet market. Photo: Tibor Krausz

Buddhist amulets for sale at a Bangkok market, Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

Amulets for sale at a Bangkok amulet market, Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

"Amulet master" Suthi Utanworapot shows off some special amulets in his shop at a Bangkok amulet market, Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

A woman examines an amulet at a market, Bangkok, Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

A Thai man scrutinizes an amulet with a magnifier at a Bangkok amulet market, Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

Amulet master" Suthi Utanworapot shows off some of his special amulets he has for sale at a Bangkok amulet market, Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

A Buddhist monk inspects an amulet at a temple in Bangkok ,Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

An "amulet master" shows off a Buddhist amulet that is supposed to protect its wearer from bullets at a Bangkok amulet market, Thailand. May 09, 2019.  09MAY19[20MAY2019 FEATURES]CREDIT: Tibor Krausz

His clothes old and frayed, Kob Ladkrabang, a Thai amulet enthusiast, looks for a new acquisition at a Bangkok amulet market to add to his collection of 10,000. “I like amulets,” he says. Photo: Tibor Krausz

Lifestyle

Arts

US$1.25 billion worth of Buddhist charms are sold every year in Thailand – not surprising when seven in 10 Thais wear amulets. Some have thousands
The most prized ones were made by venerated monks, but many are mass-produced, and unscrupulous temples pass off fakes as valuable charms to Chinese tourists


US$1.25 billion worth of Buddhist charms are sold every year in Thailand – not surprising when seven in 10 Thais wear the amulets. Some have thousands. Like great art, their price depends on who created them and their rarity.


Religion

Thailand