A religious rite organised over the weekend to quell fears that Bangkok's new $A5 billion airport was haunted by dissatisfied ghosts apparently failed to achieve its purpose.
The Bangkok Post reports that the rite, involving 99 Buddhist monks, was interrupted mid-prayer on Saturday by an unidentified man.
Claiming to be "Phu Ming", or "Grandfather Ming", he demanded that a proper "spirit house" be built to assure the smooth operation of the airport.
The man reportedly passed out after delivering his message. When he awoke, the spirit had left him.
"Spirit houses" are part of Thailand's traditional belief system. The small shrines are meant to show respect to the spirits that inhabited a plot of land before the new owner.
Bangkok's new airport will officially open on Thursday, when the old airport at Don Muang will be closed to commercial traffic.
The new airport was built on land bought by the government four decades ago in an eastern suburb of Bangkok that was previously called "Nong Ngu Hao", or "Cobra Swamp".
Ghost sightings by superstitious workers were common during the construction period.
The project has proved an unlucky one for overthrown prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who had planned to preside over the opening of the airport as one of the crowning successes of his five years in power.
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