JELLY BLOB MYSTERY / WHO DID IT?
Not alien droppings after all, just cooling gel
POST REPORTERS
From the Bangkok Post, Tuesday May 16, 2006
Government scientists’ confirmation yesterday that the mysterious jelly blobs which have appeared around the country were just soaked sheets of cooling gel may have ended the mystery.
But new questions emerged _ who was behind the spread of the eerie objects, which attracted fear and awe, and why?
Some suspected it was a marketing ploy by the manufacturers of the fever-relief sheets, while others thought it was a devious trick by the caretaker government to distract public attention from the political issues haunting it of late.
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Wannasathit said it was understandable people would look for someone to blame after learning the facts.
Kalaya Angsukaset, product manager of S. Charoen Pharmaceutical, importer and distributor of Koolfever _ one of the six brands sold locally _ said it was wrong to suggest the firm was behind spread of the jelly blobs as a publicity stunt.
“That is groundless. The fever-relief sheet is a product used for special purposes. We don’t need to market the product that heavily,” she said.
She believed the sheets were simply left around by mistake.
Deputy secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Manit Arunakul, agreed the appearance of the soaked cooling gel sheets was just a coincidence.
“People might have thrown away the gel sheets after using them and then they could have become swollen after being soaked with rain,” he said.
The Science and Technology Ministry yesterday opened the “Science Hotline 1313” to prevent any public panic over mysterious objects and phenomena that could emerge in the future.
“From now on, if anyone finds mysterious things, please seek scientific explanations from the ministry’s 1313 hotline. Don’t panic and avoid using the supernatural to explain things you don’t know about,” said caretaker Science and Technology Minister Pravich
Rattanapien.
It was clear that Thais’ scientific knowledge was unacceptably low, he said.
At least seven transparent gel rolls were found in five provinces – Uthai Thani, Bangkok, Khon Kaen, Phrae and Samut Prakan – over the past five days. Many people believed the 12.7cm-long worm-like objects were objects from outer space, or even “alien droppings”. Others saw them as a omen and tried to divine lucky numbers from them.