If you look closely, the flashing lights are actually beaming from the top of police trucks. And that music? Far from the newest Lady GaGa single, it is actually the anti-government anthem that the Red Shirt protestors have been blaring on loudspeakers for the last few weeks. As for people on the move, it isn't just a fashion coincidence that they all happend to be decked out in the same hue of crimson. Pretty sure they planned this particular fashion statement.
Because the international media seems to be squeezing Thai national headlines between ads for toilet paper and Ziploc bags, I find it my duty to let you all in on a little-known fact about this country: the sh*t has officially hit the fan. Anti-government Red Shirts have spread through the city like wildfire, and tonight is set to be the biggest demonstration yet. So instead of going out and celebrating my 23rd birthday in the city that never sleeps (except at random hours during the day-- stay tuned for a post on the art of the "spontaneous Thai nap"), I'm holed up in my room eating stale potato chips for dinner. To further illustrate what's happening in Bangkok, I'll put it into numbers (*due to laziness of this blog's author, there is no particular significance to the order of these numbers):
50,000: the approximate number of Red Shirt protestors who have gathered at the two major sit-in sites in Bangkok, cutting off a major business and shopping district and disrupting traffic flow throughout the already-congested city streets.
10,000: The number of websites that have been shut down by the government, deemed to be spreading "inappropriate" matter that could lead to anti-government sentiment and demonstrations.
24: the number of Red Shirt leaders who have been issued with arrest warrants by the Thai government. More added to this list every day.
3: The number of days the city of Bangkok has been in a "state of emergency", as declared by Prime Minister Abhisit. This declaration clears the path for the government to use force to clear out the protestors should they refuse to move.
24: the number of hours that the People's Television Channel ("PTV", the Red Shirt's major vein for communicating with the masses) was shut off by the government. Red Shirts protested today at ThaiCom to get the television station turned back on, which brings us to the final number of...
22: the number of people who were injured during the Red Shirt ambush of ThaiCom this afternoon. These are the first injuries reported since the beginning of the protests, and a sign that things are getting heated.
I could keep going with the whole numbers thing, but for the sake of time and my own sanity let me state the obvious: something's gotta give. The Red Shirts are pushing for a dissolution of parliament, calling for election of a new prime minister within less than two weeks. Current Prime Minister Abhisit is pushing back with circular "conferences" between himself and opposition leaders that aren't getting anyone anywhere. He is determined not to use force, which is respectable. But when one has to dodge angry protestors just to buy water at the local 7-11, you know someone at the top isn't doing their job to control a national crisis.
I know what you're thinking: things are so heated, the only way to cool them down would be a good old-fashioned water gun fight. WELL YOU'RE IN LUCK!! Because next week we celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year, with a nation-wide WATER FIGHT! Yes, that's right, every year for a week in April, Thai's get out their super-soakers and hit the streets to raise mayhem and get totally drenched. As the Thai's are not a group to miss a good celebration, the Red Shirts are expected to take a brief hiatus from a political revolution to lightheartedly splash their neighbors and opposing forces during this popular festival. I mean, I guess it makes sense- why fight for political change when you can soak your crabby landlord with ice-cold river water?
So, to re-cap the situation: today, it's rubber bullets and tear gas. Next week: super-soakers. Who knows what the week after will bring. All I know is, I really know how to pick a city in which to build a stable existence. Right?
Hey! You sound surprisingly optimistic as you watch a potential government uprising out your window. I hope everything goes alright. Enjoy your birthday anyway. Although, those stale chips would probably be better if they were on a stick.
ReplyDeleteHere's what the New York Times Says today -- on the front page, by the way:
ReplyDelete21: dead
900: wounded
43: nations issuing travel warnings
100: charter flights cancelled by China which were to bring---
15,000: Chinese based Thai water fighters no longer going to Thailand.
And furthermore,
Australia warned its citizens of “a strong possibility of further violence.” The Russian ambassador, Alexander Maryasov, advised his countrymen to avoid Bangkok and “go directly to the sea resorts.”
But the red shirts clearly have supporters in the lower levels of the police and armed forces.
In a telling moment of theater near the center-city rally site, thousands of red-shirted protesters confronted an outnumbered cordon of helmeted riot police officers late in the afternoon. Both sides sat down for a while facing each other. Then the police rose and filed away, ceding the street to the red shirts.
As they departed, many of the police shook hands with and even hugged the protesters. One waved a red plastic clapper used at the rallies.
Young men in red shirts then took over Sukhumvit Road, one of the city’s central arteries, directing traffic and sometimes stopping and inspecting cars before letting them pass.
I have never really thought of you as the revolutionary type...are you okay? safe? having fun? eating? finding water? having enough wai? need your mom? (I can bring a super soaker and be on the next flight -- or is that a little redundant?)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Dodgers just lost to the terrible Florida Marlins, after losing last week to the terrible Pittsburgh Pirates, ergo:
4: number of games lost by the hapless home team.
1: fan who wishes Dodgers had supersoakers.