Just yesterday, a whole gathering of reporters ventured over to Wat Kamphaeng in Bangkok yesterday to see for themselves the local’s most-loved monk! Over the past couple of months the monk has amazingly forecasted the Government Lottery’s 3-Digit number – absolutely spot-on! From once being a nobody-monk, he is now the rising star of the neighbourhood after the locals have also cashed in on his ‘spooky-style forecasting!’

In fact, the reporters were soon surprised to learn for themselves that the ‘fortune telling monk’ wasn’t even a Thai native, but instead a Khmer called ‘Phra Manee’ who learnt how to forecast the ‘government lottery number’ when he was just an 11 year-old kid!

Before Phra Manee was about to start the ‘3-digit number ritual’, hundreds of followers had swamped the temple with pen and paper in to hand to write down the ‘lucky numbers’.

Using a plastic bucket, a candle and holy water in the fascinating ritual (see picture below!) the monk forecast ‘617’, ‘816’ and ‘016’ (see above picture!). Before you could say… even ‘Golly Googly Gosh’ the crowds had dashed out of the temple in search of the nearest ‘Governement Lottery Ticket Vendor’. (not forgetting to insert some spare cash into the temple's donation box first....of course)

On interviewing another monk (Phra Chaiwat) of the same temple about the exploits of ‘The Fortune Telling Monk’ he told the reporters that ‘Phra Manee’ had been venturing throughout the Isarn region of Thailand before he was invited to reside at Wat Kamphaeng to assist the temple in ‘making money’.

Translated by Steve Suphan