GHOSTS, spirits, jin and other supernatural beings are abundant at SMK Tanjung Lumpur, claim dozens of bomoh as well as spiritual and faith healers who have visited the school in Kuantan in the past weeks.

Some of the bomoh have even claimed that they have "communicated" with the spirits who were responsible for bouts of hysteria at the school since May.

The so-called spirits, which are aplenty based on the names given by the bomoh, have made several demands including a special feast before they leave the school.

The spirits claimed that the construction of the school's new building had encroached on their area and for that reason, almost every day, a group of students would scream hysterically.

In most cases, the victims claimed that they saw an apparition with long hair, while others claimed they were possessed by an old woman and would act and sound like one.
The idea to strike a deal with the supernatural beings was not favoured by religious figures, including state mufti Datuk Abdul Rahman Osman.

Rahman said efforts to solve the problem should not involve the help of spirits or jin.

A bomoh, 70, from Kota Baru said it was common for a bomoh to use the service of a dampingan (assisting spirit) to communicate with other supernatural beings or to treat a patient.

"Many people will not admit it but we have our khadam (servants) among the spirits."



Such a technique will pose a problem, particularly when there are too many bomoh involved.

He said: "I think this school is crowded with foreign spirits. Some of the bomoh may have left them here to show their power."

Two "paranormals" from Bandung, Indonesia, shared a similar belief.

Rahmat Setiawan and Didi Ardi of Aura Syifa' organisation said: "We have communicated with the residing spirits but they were not responsible for the bouts of hysteria at this school."

Rahmat said only one or two of the students were possessed by the spirits while the rest were responding due to a "herd instinct".

"Most of them become hysterical because of other factors, including examination pressure and family problems.

"Some are reacting to the harsh treatment meted out by bomoh during the exorcism," said Rahmat, who prefers to be known as a "mind therapist".

For the record, only 35 of the 820 students at the school have been affected.

Rahmat said hysteria was prevalent among the Malays as they had been exposed to ghost stories since young.

"I was told that there are many ghost series shown on local television. We face the same problem in Indonesia as there are many stories on kuntilanak and jembalang being aired every day."

However, the victims' parents disagreed.

Mariah Mat Zain, 50, said: "I've seen my daughter turning her head more than 180 degrees. She could also overpower five men when possessed."

Mariah said her Form Two daughter was still suffering from hysteria although she had transferred to another school.

"Don't tell me she is faking it. She's too young to do it."

Some of the victims, including Mariah's daughter, have sought treatment at hospitals and were certified normal.

Doctors said it was a difficult phenomenon to explain, especially if it involved a Muslim.

"We have to consider what the family will feel if we say that there's no ghost or whatsoever in their child's body.

"As a Muslim, I advise them to seek help from ustaz and pray for God's help," said a private medical practitioner.

Whether spirits exist or not, the students' future is at stake and there should be a way to solve the problem.

A victim, seconds after regaining consciousness, said: "Please help us. I want to be free of this problem."