Bangfai Payanak: Science, Belief and Thai Society Soraj Hongladarom Department of Philosophy Chulalongkorn University

Outline of Talk My current research on science in Thai culture. “Bangfai Payanak” (Naga’s fireballs) What does this phenomenon tell us about contemporary Thai society? - paradoxes? Incongruities? Or are the usual conceptual tools adequate?

Science in Thai Society and Culture This project, funded by the TRF, aims at understanding the complex interplay between modern science and the fabric of Thai culture. It came out as a book, published in Thai by the Institute for Academic Development. It argues for a tighter integration of modern science into Thai culture through a development of what I call “community-based science”.

Science in Thai Culture (2) One of the objectives of the work is to find a solution on the so-called problem of “lack of scientificity” in Thai people in general. This is shown in the high interest paid by the population on ‘irrational’ matters. The mainstream thinking seems to be that this interest shows that Thai people lag behind their Western counterparts and needs to be corrected.

‘Irrational’ Behaviors? However, I tend to think that a way should be found to accommodate these behaviors and belief systems together with those accompanying modern science. Typical Thai attitude -- keep the useful, discard the what is not. And is there any explanation for these ‘irrational’ behaviors beside ignorance?

Bangfai Payanak Many people see a large number of fireballs rising out of the Mekhond River during the Buddhist lent period -- full moon of the 11th lunar month (October). These are believed to be made by Naga, who lives under the Mekhong, to pay homage to the Buddha. The event became huge tourist attractions Nong Khai.

Bangfai Payanak However, there was a recent controversy after the iTV news channel reported a story that the fireballs were not made by Naga at all, but were in fact flares shot by Laotian soldiers on the other side of the river. This caused a major stir in Nong Khai and other Isan provinces. The protesters claimed that the news report threatened the cultural identity of the Nong Khai people.

Bangfai (contd.) The protest was such that thousands of Nong Khai people rallied in front of the Provincial Hall demanding apologies and a retraction from iTV. iTV did not back down, but offered an explanation, which did not quite satisfy the people of Nong Khai.

Other media jumped on the issue and criticized iTV for not being sensitive enough to the cultural identity and the feelings of the people.

Debate The issue has aroused a debate between those who claim to be able to found the phenomenon on scientific basis, and those who argue that those claims are untenable. On the former side, Dr. Manas Kanoksin has been very famous for his scientific ‘defense’ of the phenomenon. His website is at

Dr. Manas claims that the fireballs are natural phenomena; they are essentially methane bubbling out of the riverbed and spontaneously burst into flames during the Buddhist lent period.

Debate (2) However, this claim is resisted by Dr. Montri Boonsaneur, who claims that he knows that the bangfais are man made, but he does not provide any support for his claim publicly, for fear of possible backlash against him from those who have vested interests in the bangfais.

What is interesting is that so far there is still no scientically proven theory that explains the phenomenon. So what does this tell us about the Thai epistemic culture?

Thai Epistemic Culture ‘Epistemic culture’ refers to the sum of practices and beliefs that together constitute a culture’s attitude toward knowledge and its way of endorsing or justifying claims, thus elevating them to the status of knowledge.

Epistemic Culture and the Bangfai The bangfai incident seems to show that, although Thais have studied modern science for more than a century, the set of beliefs constitutive of modern science still has yet to permeate into the cultural fabric. But we have to be careful not to lump the Thais merely as ‘irrational’, for modern science does not have a monopoly on rationality.

Epistemic Culture and the Bangfai On the contrary, Nong Khai people seem to be very rational, because the belief sustained by their version of the bangfai helps boost the regional economy significantly. So is it possible to justify the maxim: Keep the useful and discard what threatens identity? But doesn’t the very fact of the phenomenon justify the claim already?

Science and Culture So how should we understand the whole phenomenon? We are seeing the self-preserving force of the culture and tradition against its attack in form of modern scientific belief system. What is happening in the Thai context is that the two exist together, uneasily, side by side.

Perhaps one day the issue will be resolved scientifically. But that would have entailed a sustained political effort. But how come truth and politics do involve with each other? One might argue: What is wrong with people becoming more faithful as a result of the bangfai?

This is wrong only if we accept that the value of truth trumps over all other values, such as being successful in getting some people to become more moral, or sensitivities to different cultures and practices.

Science and Culture Philosophers typically don’t like the idea that something incongruous with each other could exist side by side. But these philosophers need to revise their way of thinking. There are two ways of approaching this: find a deeper common ground, or celebrate the differences. I would opt for the latter.