The political situation here, always goofy even in the best of times, has taken a turn for the surreal. Hot on the heels of the yellow shirts taking and occupying Government House (the Thai version of the White House) and both Bangkok airports in 2008, the red shirts have been staging a major rally since last weekend, but it’s largely fizzled out.
However, in what seems to be an act of desperation, someone among them got the idea to make a blood curse on the government. They collected blood from many of the participants and mixed it with water (watering the whiskey, the bastards) and splashed it on the gates of Government House and Democrat Party HQ (the Democrats are the head of the present coalition government) on Tuesday and the prime minister’s house yesterday (Wednesday). (I wonder why the Tea Baggers or whatever they call themselves have not thought of this in Washington.)
Story on it here. I saw serious speculation in The Asian Wall Street Journal yesterday that the red shirts were mulling feces attacks next. (The prime minister’s house has already been attacked with feces twice recently. Once by a man who was upset that no-smoking laws were not being enforced, so tossed his baby’s feces; another man brought cow dung down with him on a bus from upcountry, but I can’t remember what his beef was.) Myself, I think they should start calling for sperm donations next; THAT would get even more coverage, you betcha.
Threats to bring 1 million protesters (they actually got only 100,000 or fewer) to paralyze Bangkok and travel warnings from 31 countries not to come to Thailand failed to move Thai news to the lead story on CNN International. However, this blood story did the trick, as it was the leading story when it occurred. Correspondent Dan Rivers concluded it “smacks of desperation.”
One aspect conspicuously lacking in all of the international stories is the fact the protesters are being paid to protest. I can only assume the foreign correspondents don’t want to be expelled from the scene by angry protest leaders, but it’s widely reported locally. The wife of a friend up North was offered 500 baht (US$15.50) per day to come to Bangkok to protest. She told them where to stick their money, but still she was incensed to learn protesters from provinces close to Bangkok were getting double that. Well, there are higher transportation and other logistical expenses for the protesters from far upcountry.
The yellow shirts are being strangely quiet throughout all of this.
There is as yet no need to start a sequel to my There’s Rioting in Our Streets thread, but stay tuned. As I never tire of saying, it is never EVER boring here.