'Supernatural' dolls get seats, meal on Thai flights

Bangkok: A craze in Thailand for pampering lifelike dolls to bring good fortune doesn't seem to have done the trick for some vendors, who on Tuesday were raided by police on charges of tax avoidance.

Known in Thai as "luuk thep" (child angels), the pricey dolls, which can cost up to $600, were first popularised by celebrities who claimed dressing up and feeding the dolls had brought them professional success.

Doll-mania has since taken off across deeply superstitious Thailand, with adults bringing the figures to Buddhist ceremonies, restaurants Thai media published a leaked airline memo that defined the "child angels" as "a doll that is alive". The memo said the dolls should be placed in window seats so as not to disturb other passengers and that seatbelts should be worn during take off and landing, according to reports. A state-owned bus operator, Transport Co, is charging half-priced tickets for the dolls, who "get full service, including food & drink," a PR representative said. AFP and even on planes, where they have reportedly been issued seats and served midflight refreshments.

But after Thailand's police chief warned the fad was going too far, officers on Tuesday confiscated more than 100 dolls and arrested three vendors in Bangkok for allegedly failing to pay import taxes (about $2,750).

The bust followed reports this week that Thai Smile airline was offering ticketed seats and meals to the dolls.

Thai media published a leaked airline memo that defined the "child angels" as "a doll that is alive". The memo said the dolls should be placed in window seats so as not to disturb other passengers and that seatbelts should be worn during take off and landing, according to reports.

A state-owned bus operator, Transport Co, is charging half-priced tickets for the dolls, who "get full service, including food & drink," a PR representative said.