Flames crackle through a pile of hundreds of human skulls and thick grey smoke pours into the Thai sky in a moment as spiritually significant as it is gruesome. The Lang Pacha ceremony is observed by Thais of Chinese descent to give a dignified funeral to the unclaimed dead. "We retrieve unclaimed bodies to do a meritorious cremation ceremony so that they can rest in peace according to our belief," said Pisit Pongsirisupakul, vice president of the Dhamma of Buddha Nakhon Ratchasima Foundation, which organised the event. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES