November 12, 2008	Wednesday	Ziqa'ad 13, 1429

KATHMANDU, Nov 11: A young Nepalese boy reputed to have Buddha-like powers has reappeared in the south of the country to preach to thousands of supporters, witnesses said on Tuesday.

Eighteen-year-old Ram Bahadur Bomjam — dubbed the “Buddha Boy” — rose to fame in 2005 after his family claimed he could sit for months on end without sleep, food or water.

In March 2007, Bomjam’s supporters said he was planning to meditate for three years in an underground bunker, although he was spotted on two occasions. Now, Bomjam has appeared again to preach for around 45 minutes, and plans to continue addressing the public daily until Nov 18, said a local police official.

“The whole jungle area where he has appeared has turned into a festival and around 10,000 people came to see him on Monday,” the police officer said.

Local volunteers have collected thousands of dollars from people who visited the Buddha Boy in the past, prompting accusations that the “Buddha Boy” was merely at the centre of a money-making scam.

During the height of his fame, a French TV journalist filmed him nibbling on fruit while supposedly starving himself. A correspondent also found him curled up sound asleep while he was supposedly meditating in private.—AFP