Thailand's Red Shirts rally in show of strength

Thaweeporn Kummetha and Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation (Thailand)
Publication Date: 28-06-2009

Some 30,000 red shirts occupied half of Sanam Luang in Bangkok on June 27 in an evening rally to remind Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that they remained a threat to the coalition government.

The Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) protesters, who called for dissolution of the House and vowed to oust the government, were sent scampering by heavy rains at 5pm and again at 7.30pm. But even before the half-hour heavy downpour at 7.30, which was accompanied by lightning, the protesters had already made their point that the reds would not simply go away.

"I came here to call for justice so there will be no more double standards [in politics] and real democracy," said 45-year-old Kanokrak Decharachata, a farmer from Phetchabun, who represented her family at the rally.

"I am ashamed to be a Thai when we have military coups and then this kind of a government," she said, adding that her farming income was very low under the Abhisit administration.

She said she had faith in ousted and convicted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was scheduled to phone in to the crowd later in the evening. "No other prime minister has ever done as many good deeds as this one [Thaksin]."

Toi, a 61-year-old merchant from Bangkok, believes the government will not last beyond year-end because the administration has not produced any concrete beneficial results and only borrows money.

Toi said he was not sure how long the struggle would go on but he would continue until "justice is served".

Other protesters refused to give interviews to The Nation, claiming the paper is biased.

Jaranrak Visutphan, a 59-year-old computer-programmer from Bangkok, said the mainstream media distorted things, especially state-controlled Channel 11. "The red shirts won't win even if we oust Abhisit but fail to remove the military [from politics]."

Some protesters held placards identifying their province of origin, and they came from all regions of the country. A group of red shirts distributed survey papers trying to find out the income levels of the protesters, which DAAD leaders they preferred and other details.

Free papaya salad was distributed to hungry protesters while many of the food vendors wore red themselves. Prior to the rally, a DAAD leader expected some 30,000 people to show up, and the rally seemed to have achieved that objective.

The morale of the protesters was high despite the bloody April riots, which failed to dislodge the government, and a leader on stage reminded them that victory was "imminent".

"That victory will be ours is 100 per cent certain!"