Scientist insists Naga fireballs are prank by Laos villagers

Jessada Denduangboripant, a professor at CU’s Faculty of Science, insisted that the mysterious phenomenon’s source was easily explainable without resorting to the story of a serpent spirit blowing fireballs from the Mekong River.

In posts on Facebook, Jessada cited a photo published by The Standard news website and an explanation by astronomer Matipol Tungmatitham to back his theory that “the fireballs” were merely tracer bullets fired into the air by mischievous Lao villagers.

Jessada has been calling on the media and government to reveal the truth about the annual phenomenon, which attracts thousands of visitors to the northeastern province every year.