Malaysians flock to ghostly apparition in betel nut tree

MALAYSIA - Thousands of people have been flocking to a small and hitherto unremarkable village of Kampung Paya, northern Malaysia, to see a "ghost-tree" - a tree on which what appears to be a grotesque human face has appeared.

It is a betel nut tree, a type of palm as common and everyday a sight in the tropics as an oak tree in rural Britain.

But etched on one of the fronds of this particular tree is something that looks like a monstrous face, its teeth bared in a snarl and its eyes lost in shadow.

It may sound like the plot of a Scooby-Doo cartoon, but people in rural Malaysia are taking it very seriously. Village elders have warned the thousands coming to see the face just to look and not to make any comments, for fear of arousing the wrath of the ghost.

You could be forgiven for suspecting the locals have been indulging a little too much in chewing the betel nuts, the mildly intoxicating fruit of the tree, which are popular in many parts of Asia.

Sceptics have pointed out that the face appears to have changed dramatically since the first pictures of it emerged a few days ago, and become considerably larger, more distinct, and scarier.

They suggested that enterprising locals may have decided to give the thousands flocking to the site more to look at.

Villagers have been selling photographs of the apparition to visitors for 2 ringgits (86c) each.

But the credulous insisted the changing shape of the face was just further evidence of its ghostly nature.

The owner of the tree, 60-year-old Miah Majid, told Malaysia's Star newspaper she spotted it last week.

Then 54-year-old Zainol Nayan, who lives nearby, told the New Straits Time he saw it beginning to form a month ago, but that it only became obvious last Friday.

"Since then, villagers have gathered around the tree to see for themselves and the news spread like wildfire, attracting outsiders," he said.

The tree is about 5m tall and is 10 years old.

- INDEPENDENT