‘Ting Mong’ the saviour

Armed with a stick, a floral-shirted scarecrow with a plastic pot for a head stands guard in front of a rural Cambodian home -- a sentry erected by superstitious farmers to ward off the coronavirus. 

Known as "Ting Mong" in Khmer, the creatively rendered scarecrows often pop up in villages that have been hard-hit by infectious diseases like dengue or water-borne diarrhoea.

"It is our ancient superstition to set up Ting Mongs when there are dangerous diseases or to avert evil," said farmer Sok Chany, 45, who has set up her own protector to ward off evil.

The majority-Buddhist kingdom has a strong strain of animism incorporated into the daily lives and rituals of Cambodians, with many believing that spirits are tied to places, animals and things.

Farmer Ton Pheang  dressed his Ting Mong in a bright pink shirt and has a helmet for its head. And he claims it has guarded his family and the village well.

"We've been fine since the outbreak," Ton Pheag tells AFP. Cambodia appears to escaped the brunt of the pandemic, registering just 283 infections and no deaths -- though sceptics say the low toll could be due to a lack of testing.