コロナ追い払う見張り役、カンボジア農村部のかかし

【コンポンチャムＡＦＰ＝時事】カンボジアの農村部に建つ一軒の家の前に、頭にプラスチックの鉢をかぶり、木の枝で武装し花柄のシャツを着たかかしが立っている。縁起を担ぐ農家の住人が立てた、新型コロナウイルスを追い払うための見張り役だ。（写真はカンボジア・コンポンチャム州で、新型コロナウイルスを避けるためクメール語で「ティン・モン」と呼ばれるかかしを自宅前に立てる女性）
　こうした独創的なかかしはクメール語で「ティン・モン」と呼ばれ、デング熱や不衛生な水が原因の下痢といった感染症で苦しんできた農村部でよく見られる。
　同国首都プノンペンの北東約１１０キロに位置するコンポンチャム州に住む農家のソック・チャニーさん（４５）は、今回、「コロナウイルスに家族が脅かされるのを防ぐためにティン・モンを立てた」と話す。チャニーさんが暮らす木造の高床式住宅の前には２体のかかしが立っている。
　もう１体のかかしは緑色の迷彩模様の服を着て、干し草を詰めた胸に木の枝をライフル銃のように掛けている。チャニーさんはＡＦＰに「危険な災害の時や災いを避けるためにティン・モンを立てるのは、この地域で昔からやっている縁起担ぎ」と語った。
　国民の大部分が仏教を信仰しているカンボジアでは、多くの人が土地や動物、物に魂が宿ると信じており、日常生活や儀式的行事にアニミズム（精霊信仰）が深く根付いている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/10/12-12:36）

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.
This time, I've set up the Ting Mong to prevent the coronavirus from threatening my family, says farmer Sok Chany, 45.
She has two posted in front of her wooden stilt home in Kampong Cham province, about 110 kilometres (70 miles) northeast of the capital Phnom Penh.
The other is dressed in camo-green and has a stick propped like a rifle across its hay-stuffed chest.
It is our ancient superstition to set up Ting Mongs when there are dangerous diseases or to avert evil, she tells AFP.
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.
The Ting Mongs are meant to ward off evil spirits wishing to bring harm on an unsuspecting family by spreading disease.
In Sok Chany's Trapeang Sla village, no chances are taken -- an effigy is tied to the gate of nearly every home, though constructed with varying degrees of effort.
Some are elaborately dressed in military uniform or floral pyjamas, while others simply have stuffed bags with sunglasses perched on them for a head.
Farmer Ton Pheang stuffs old clothing up the arm of his Ting Mong, which is dressed in a bright pink shirt and has a helmet for its head.
This is my second one -- the first one broke, the 55-year-old says, adding that his scarecrow has been standing guard under sun and rain since April when the outbreak started spreading rapidly across Southeast Asia.
We've been fine since the outbreak, Ton Pheag tells AFP. I'll continue to leave it up as long as Covid still exists.
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.