A posthumous Thriller?

While we're in the Far East (see previous story), it seems that a Taiwanese farmer has found a novel way to protect his crops.

A farmer in Taiwan has come up with an Off the Wall way of scaring away birds who eat his crop at harvest time - scarecrows dressed like Michael Jackson.

Lee Ping-hsing has installed two wooden models of the King of Pop in his rice fields and covered them in the singer's trademark clothing.

One of the scarecrows has been given Jackson's iconic white sequined gloves and a black fedora hat, while the other wears a red jacket similar to the one famously worn in the Thriller video.

Both models are set in the fields in different poses copied from the dead singer's signature dance moves.

Lee told local reporters: 'During harvest, my dad would go to the fields every day and chase the birds away.

'And I thought, since Michael is good at 'grabbing his bird', I'm inviting him to grab ours.'

The 30-year-old claims the scarecrows have been such a success that he's building a third for his father's farm in Changhua county, central Taiwan.

Not everyone thinks the idea is a Thriller though.

'I was yelled at by my grandfather, who said Jackson's spirit could come and haunt us,' Lee added.

'But I think it would be nice if Michael could come over.'

There's more at the link, including a video clip of the farmer dancing Jackson-style.

Dare I say that this might give Michael Jackson's music a bad rap?





Peter