Police say the black magic practitioner, Tun Naing, punched and kicked two toddlers and an eight-month-old baby to death last month in a tiny village outside Myanmar's commercial capital. According to witnesses he told villagers the children were possessed by evil sprits and then killed them over two days as their families watched. Speaking as police led him away from the court hearing, Tun Naing told reporters he had been possessed when he attacked the children. The uncle of the dead boy, also named Tun Naing, said the villagers lost their senses after he fed them "blessed" water and made them stand in a circle as he recited incantations. While the majority of people in Myanmar are Buddhist, many also believe in spirits, astrology and "yadaya" -- magic used to ward off evil or misfortune.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 18, 2016 10:27 UTC