сотни жителей Исана спешат поменять свои имена.

[voyager1970]

Isaan folk rush to change names to ward off bad luck

NAKHORN RATCHASIMA: -- District offices in the Northeast face a shortage of forms for people to change their names because hundreds have sought new first names - to avoid bad luck in the Chinese Year of the Pig, which begins next month.

Astrologers have warned that individuals with names that start with the Thai letters "Sor sua" or "Por pla" would have bad luck in the Year of the Pig.

Muang Nakhon Ratchasima district chief Thongsuk Parithamma said yesterday his office and nearby districts ran out of Chor 3 forms a week ago, as 100-200 people had applied to change their names every day over recent weeks.

The phenomenon was due to some people's belief that if they change their names in the Year of Pig, their lives would improve, Thongsuk said - especially those who had first names with the initial letters "Sor sua" and "Por pla" - or they would face problems.

About 60 per cent of applicants had the letters "Sor sua" and "Por pla", he said.

One Nakhon Ratchasima city resident, Surapong Pipatthanakornkul, 62, said he and his son came to change their names but were told the district office had run out of the required forms.

Surapong said he was told by a senior monk their first names and last name were now unlucky, but if they changed them, their lives would improve.

Similar scenes have occurred in Ubon Ratchathani, where over 200 people have changed their first name - and 11 altered family names - since December. The most popular initial for new names was "Tor tung".

In Khon Kaen, people have also been changing their names to avoid bad luck. At Muang district alone, 159 people had applied to change their name. Many claimed their old names brought them problems, the district chief said.

Police are unconcerned, though. A spokesman said an individual's details and criminal record could still be checked via computer as they had not changed ID-card numbers.

--The Nation 2007-01-19