New Straits TimesTuesday, Oct 04, 2011TUMPAT, Malaysia -
Pandemonium broke out in a school hall when 10 out of 200 pupils taking their year-end examinations yesterday were hit by a bout of hysteria.The incident at SK Pengkalan Kubor 1, came on the back of a similar hysteria attack in the school on Wednesday, which also involved 10 pupils.All the victims in the co-education school were girls.The hysteria yesterday is believed to have broken out at 10am as the pupils were answering their question papers in the school hall.
Most of the victims who fell unconscious were rushed to the school's surau by their teachers, who later got two bomoh to help them.Rozali Abdul Rahman, 46, the father of one of the victims, said his 11-year-old daughter had been attacked by hysteria three times, including the incident on Wednesday."I was driving in Pengkalan Kubor when I received a call from the school."When I arrived, I saw several pupils sprawled on the ground while others were being carried into the surau."When I was told that my daughter got into an hysteria today, the first thing that crossed my mind was that a huge and ugly apparition had scared her again... this was what she had told me when she had her hysteria attacks previously," said the father of two.Rozali, a taxi driver, said his daughter had told him that she had seen the phantom while she was walking at the back of her classroom after she regained consciousness during the attack on Wednesday.
"A similar incident had occurred to her several weeks earlier and I believe the same object had disturbed her and her friends yesterday."Rozali had earlier watched the bomoh giving treatment to his daughter, who was brought back to consciousness in 10 minutes.The two bomoh refused to be interviewed or have their pictures taken."We do not want the public to misunderstand us and our treatment. Let us do our job with Allah's blessings," one said.
The victims, mostly from Pengkalan Kubor, were allowed to return home after receiving treatment.Kelantan education director Hussain Awang confirmed receiving a report on the incident and said he had sent his officers to investigate.Mass hysteria happens when one loses coordination, consciousness of identity, feeling and body movement.According to Wikipedia, hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses due to an overwhelming fear.
Pandemonium broke out in a school hall when 10 out of 200 pupils taking their year-end examinations yesterday were hit by a bout of hysteria.The incident at SK Pengkalan Kubor 1, came on the back of a similar hysteria attack in the school on Wednesday, which also involved 10 pupils.All the victims in the co-education school were girls.The hysteria yesterday is believed to have broken out at 10am as the pupils were answering their question papers in the school hall.
Most of the victims who fell unconscious were rushed to the school's surau by their teachers, who later got two bomoh to help them.Rozali Abdul Rahman, 46, the father of one of the victims, said his 11-year-old daughter had been attacked by hysteria three times, including the incident on Wednesday."I was driving in Pengkalan Kubor when I received a call from the school."When I arrived, I saw several pupils sprawled on the ground while others were being carried into the surau."When I was told that my daughter got into an hysteria today, the first thing that crossed my mind was that a huge and ugly apparition had scared her again... this was what she had told me when she had her hysteria attacks previously," said the father of two.Rozali, a taxi driver, said his daughter had told him that she had seen the phantom while she was walking at the back of her classroom after she regained consciousness during the attack on Wednesday.
"A similar incident had occurred to her several weeks earlier and I believe the same object had disturbed her and her friends yesterday."Rozali had earlier watched the bomoh giving treatment to his daughter, who was brought back to consciousness in 10 minutes.The two bomoh refused to be interviewed or have their pictures taken."We do not want the public to misunderstand us and our treatment. Let us do our job with Allah's blessings," one said.
The victims, mostly from Pengkalan Kubor, were allowed to return home after receiving treatment.Kelantan education director Hussain Awang confirmed receiving a report on the incident and said he had sent his officers to investigate.Mass hysteria happens when one loses coordination, consciousness of identity, feeling and body movement.According to Wikipedia, hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses due to an overwhelming fear.
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