I arrived at 9 am, 30 000 to 40 000 Red Shirts have already gathered at Sanam Luang and surroundings.
The festivities began with a Brahman ceremony.
Songs were sung on the stage; Red Shirt leaders danced and sang along. On Sanam Luang a large rectangle was fenced off for the procession.
Red clothed boxes containing the signatures were brought into the fenced-off area. Red shirts with national flags and monks formed up in the procession. I spoke with a construction site laborer who took a day off work to take part. He pointed out that he and his family came by themselves, and were not paid. While his wife breastfed their youngest child, he explained that in his home village in Buriram about half of the people were still supporting Newin Chidchob, the other half were not supporting him anymore.
Soon after Thaksin’s brief phone-in, the procession commenced. It rounded Sanam Luang and stopped in front of the Grand Palace. The boxes with the signatures were lined up at a small stage. One woman fainted – the heat and humidity was almost unbearable.
The Red Shirt leaders went to meet the officials of the Office of the Kings’s Principal Secretary, and handed over the petition. There was a huge crowd of photographers and videographers, and only two small points where we could take pictures. I was lucky to get the image – snapped on my out-stretched arm over the heads of several of my colleagues.
The boxes with the petition were stamped and signed by palace officials, and loaded by police officers into 5 trucks. The count was 383 boxes.
The Red Shirts dispersed. After I heard that at the court nothing happened, and no Blue Shirts appeared, I went home as well.
When I passed ASTV at Phra Arthit Road I saw a small commotion, and parked my motorcycle. 20 to 30 PAD guards in front of ASTV and opposite at Ban Phra Arthit shouted at passing taxis, vans and busses with Red Shirts. Some of the PAD guards shot with slingshots at the vehicles, and threw stones. At first they wanted to chase me away, but after I insisted that I would stay and take photos, we came to some sort of agreement – I could take images, but without showing their faces. At least, while I was there, they let Red Shirts in tuk-tuks and motorcycles pass, and only fired at the cars and buses. One of the guards said that they did not want to hurt anybody, but just scare them.
Soon police arrived – one car and several motorcycles. The guards went back into the ASTV office and the situation calmed down.
Never before in Thailand has a large political movement filed a petition to the King – this was a historic day. The stakes of the conflict have been raised clearly, and it is difficult to predict where this will lead. The opponents of the Red Shirts are enraged by what they see as an attack on the monarchy and, as I could see already at the end of the petition day, further violence is probable.
35 responses so far ↓
1 Porman // Aug 18, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Interesting that this has been made into a kind of religious thing with pictures of Thaksin looking like a cross between a Hindu deity and a Bollywood film star. In one picture a red shirt is seen waiing the head and trotters of an luckless porcine sacrifice.
It was clever to switch the emphasis from being a petition for a pardon that can easily be dismissed on legal grounds to an expression of grievances, although the effects on the economy of Thaksin’s ramping up of corruption and cronyism to a level that would make Marcos envious and his human rights record were glossed over by the petitiioners. I wonder how long it will take the Justice Ministry to verify all the signatories and confirm they really hold those views. There is still no legal way for HM to grant a pardon to a fugitive who has not respected his sentence, even if he sympathizes with the petitition but Thaksin, the chess player, is really enjoying trying to put the King in check.
I am sure that, had the PAD guards read Nick’s earlier account of Thaksin’s Songkran red shirt uprising where various brutish acts were ascribed to “PAD guards” without verification, they would not have calmly allowed him to take photographs. Perhaps next time they will be better informed and will direct a carefully aimed volley of slingshots at him that might give him some justification for his biased reporting.
2 CNXJeffrey // Aug 18, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Thanks Nick, a superb posting once again.
While the Abhisit government continues to ignore the voice of Redshirts, refuse to countenance any reconciliation with a very popular opponent and continue to coalesce with the terrorsits who got him into power, the country will continue to decline, be wasted.
Thank ‘God’ you were there to witness in photograph the event.
The report from ABC Radio claimed a smaller number of attendees and only “10″ red-boxes of signed documents.
I followed the day via D-station TV, it looked like closer to the 100,000 people the UDD had aimed for.
3 Anothermoron // Aug 18, 2009 at 10:44 pm
@Porman
Nice to see you threatening violence to Nick here.
Know what it makes you look like? A pathetic, tired, ineffectual moron.
You’re perfect for the PAD and are likely to drag your country into terrible bloodshed.
4 fall // Aug 18, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Nice reporting Nick, keep up the good work!
Field work reporting and journalism!
Since reporter from English newspaper(s) in Thailand are too uppity to do actual field work and decided to sip tea in an air-con room while write a column on discussion with imaginary friend.
5 Ralph Kramden // Aug 18, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Porman is indeed poorly informed. He or she may feel much better reading PAD propaganda. I heartily recommend http://www.antithaksin.com/BlankForm.php?Aid=0501012 were PAD ideologue Chai-anan Samudavanija, long on Sondhi’s payroll, and for a time on Thaksin’s, shows how crazed fascist ideology, money in hand, and remarkable arrogance replace on-the-ground sense and destroy all forms of critical thinking.
6 PVC // Aug 19, 2009 at 12:23 am
Good job, Nick.
Your report really reflects the heart of the red-shirt people.
You seem to be more concerned to them than that of our PM, wholooks at red-shirt people as his opponents. Sadly to say,he is from the priviledged group so I am not surprised.
7 Steve // Aug 19, 2009 at 1:52 am
“One of the guards said that they did not want to hurt anybody, but just scare them.”
Oh, so that’s alright then. Can’t wait for the PAD apologists to explain why these “guards” needed to scare anyone that was PASSING – or will the ever-truthful ASTV/Manager machine now claim that they thereby narrowly averted an attack?
@ Porman: It’s good that the really very unpleasant and ill-disguised wishful thinking of your final paragraph remains just that for now. What a totally thuggish comment………
8 James Quilty // Aug 19, 2009 at 2:22 am
Awesome job again Nick – I must admit to being startled by the Monks as I think it carries to visual weight of the situation in Burma which I don’t think it compares. Love the book and keep safe.
J
9 reg // Aug 19, 2009 at 3:40 am
Who says the mainman won’t grant a pardon? If the leadership of this country was that strong, how come a comparative lightweight like Thaksin can make a complete mockery of it. He is not invincible. His “success” is nothing but an indication that the country has been completely mismanaged for decades. And he has done more than his fair share of that mismanagement as a means to get hideously rich The so-called strong men in the elite, including Thaksin, are a bunch of ineffectual wimps.
10 aiontay // Aug 19, 2009 at 5:18 am
This was on TV last night here in the US of A. While definitely not as good as the coverage here on New Mandala, it does give a view of how Thailand’s political situation is treated in the popular media:
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain/Episode_Guide_Thailand.
11 nobody // Aug 19, 2009 at 2:20 pm
More violence does seem inevitable. Now is more about manouver and the marshalling of forces before the main events.
Thanks for the report
12 Nick Nostitz // Aug 19, 2009 at 2:41 pm
“Porman”
You complain that i have so far not presented photographic proof of PAD guards having taken part in the Songkran riots, therefore implying that i may have invented it (i haven’t – i have very good sources after now nearly 4 years following this closely).
But then, when i have shown photographic proof that PAD guards have attacked vehicles with Red Shirts at the end of the petition day – the only comment you have is that you express the wish that they “next time…will direct a carefully aimed volley of slingshots at” me.
Is there something that escapes me, or do you have a slight problem with logic and reason? One the one hand you seem to deny the fact that the PAD has very violent elements, obviously at least tolerated by the upper echelons as in this instance as it happened directly in front of the head office of ASTV. Yet when shown proof – you even go so far to advocate using violence against a journalist that does present you with the evidence of what you seem to deny.
Furthermore, in your angry tirade you even have to mock Thai tradition and religion – in your words: “In one picture a red shirt is seen waiing the head and trotters of an luckless porcine sacrifice”.
This is part of a Brahman ritual. You can easily observe similar, from weddings to pledges to spirits up to court ceremonies, in Thailand and in most other parts of Asia (even Christians in the developed west celebrate the mystic transformation of bread and wine into the flesh and blood of the founder of their religion during their rituals). I very much doubt that you would mock the same if in connection to the aforementioned.
Yet i wonder what you make out of last year’s, even for a Thai context, bizarre PAD ritual in which sanitary napkins of menstruating female followers of the PAD were placed around a royal statue, under the guidance of Sondhi Limthongkul in trance, to prevent the return of malevolent spirits supposedly placed there by Newin Chidchob during a Khmer black magic ritual?
I find it more than comical that you accuse me of bias in my reporting…
13 athita // Aug 19, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Cheer up Nick!
Forget that PAD follower. You have done very very good job.
Whenever the Red Shirt take action, Thai people (real Thai) are not so worried about their movement. On the other hand, whenever the Yellow Shirt take some action, there are likely to be some violence on street. Like a crazy driver of big truck that no one can stop, it hit everything in front.
Another observation I want you to observe, that is, most of the Yellow Shirt followers are weird and lack of critical thinking. You can prove this by talking to them. Their perspective toward things around them is…I think, weird.
Some of them are good man but talking about politics, they are weird and freaky.
Keep doing your work, Nick. At least, I’m sure Thai people will stand by you.
14 Ty // Aug 19, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Keep up the great work, Nick. I wouldn’t pay too much mind to someone who thinks the red shirts are waiing the “porcine sacrifice” rather than the Buddha statue behind it. How about that for short-sightedness?
15 michael // Aug 19, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Nick, thanks for once again superbly documenting an historical event that has been largely ignored by mainstream media. The photos will go into many an archive, telling the story,as they do, in a direct & truthful way. Several are classics.
I sincerely hope that the Golden Eagle shits in your direction soon, & you start getting the fat royalty cheques you deserve from ‘Red vs Yellow.’ Wonderful on-the-ground photos of both sides, and straight-forward eye-witness accounts. Valuable stuff!
16 doctorJ // Aug 20, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Those who had experienced with Nick’s previous reports on both ‘the red’s movements’ and ‘the PAD’s movements’, will appreciate his straightforwardness in his reports( this one as well ). Nick always conveys the materials directly from his lens and notes in a ‘raw’ and ‘untouched’ fashion, which never fail to impress me. He never show any interest in adding his opinions or try to ‘interprete’ his reports(except a few responses to comments : ) )
Nick had set a benchmark(a very high one) for all the Thai reporters to follow suit.
Thanks Nick, keep up your good work.
17 Chris Beale // Aug 20, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Fundamentally, there’s only two ways out of this crisis : either -
1) a genuine power-sharing, eg. a two-=party system, national unity government, etc.
OR :
2) “Thailand” – more properly called Siam – breaks up into at least two different states/ countries : eg. Issarn and Lanna, as a state/ country to Bangkok, The central plains, and Southern Thailand, minus Pattani. Both under a common monarchy.
The one hopeful sign is that the still immense reverence both sides hold for His Majesty The King – whose good works helping the poorest of the poor, and many, many others is still loved.
18 Nick Nostitz // Aug 20, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Thanks Ty, michael, athita, doctorJ, and all others.
“doctorJ”:
I am trying very hard not to interpret, and to leave my opinions out as much as i can. It’s not that i have no opinions, i have lots of opinions on all things i am working on. I am just not that great on ideology – i am rather pragmatic when it comes to politics.
But what i see is lacking in the reporting in the traditional medias are the bare facts. So much is mixed up with personal opinions of writers themselves (just look at the Nation articles covering this event), and the foreign media is forced to explain in their articles the background in every story, has extremely limited space, which leaves even less space to for just the raw data.
In my blog articles i can’t, and will not compete with traditional medias. I want to deliver raw information and otherwise missing facts, so that it is easier for interested parties to find their own interpretation of what is going on.
It is actually quite simple what i am doing – i am there where things happen, and write what i saw and experienced. I corroborate with my sources (which at times is not that easy as there often is much conflicting information).
In addition to that, i try to get readers a sense of how it felt being there, emotionally and atmospherically.
With all that, i don’t really think i need to interpret anything, i don’t want to be dragged into ideological debates – people can and should make up there own mind.
19 Portman // Aug 20, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I think Porman may have missed the obvious symbolism in the worship of the body parts of the decapitated pig. This is quite possibly a post-modernist representation of the strong desire of Thaksin and other red shirt leaders to get their snouts back into the trough as quickly as possible.
20 athita // Aug 20, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Hello again Nick,
I totally agree with your idea
“I want to deliver raw information and otherwise missing facts, so that it is easier for interested parties to find their own interpretation of what is going on.”
That’s absolutely right!
Many journalists, esp. from Thailand, should take this seriously. Thai people got brain-washed by Thai media for quite awhile. Many of white-collars, they don’t have time to follow the news. They go home late and turn TV on, the manipulated news then pops up by local TV channels trying to flood information . The reporters just grab local newspaper and read out loud for those who are lazy to read. They never think out of box, just eat whatever the media feed them.
Talking about the point of view, they got convinced by those “academia” guys who act as if they are super experts. If you say something differently from those experts, these white collar guys would say “hey, you know nothing, those high-respected academia // journalists // elites said so, it must be absolutely right because they are good people” something like that.
And if you insist your idea, they would ask “you got paid by Thaksin? Thaksin is your daddy?”
That’s the problem.
21 Portman // Aug 20, 2009 at 8:26 pm
athitha. Thai people must be less influenced by the media than you imagine or Thaksin’s near total domination of the media, especially television, when he was in power would have kept him in power indefinitely. However, his attempts to get people to eat the news he fed them on government TV and his personal TV station, along with his efforts to force the Press into line by squeezing their advertising revenues, ultimately failed. Why was this?
22 vora // Aug 20, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Hi Nick,
May I ask why in the world would you put yourself in Pra-arthit road in the first place? Oh, because you wanted to cause a scene, make some news and write some articles, that’s pity. Be more creative on your release, else it’s no more better “make up” story.
Cheers,
Vora
23 Taro Mongkoltip // Aug 21, 2009 at 11:51 am
The other side of the coin.
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9520000095155
24 Nick Nostitz // Aug 21, 2009 at 2:14 pm
“vora”
Prah Athit Road is a public road, and the best route for me to go home from Sanam Luang. I drove along the road when i saw PAD guards in front of ASTV firing slingshots, stopped, and took photos. The “scene” happened already when i arrived. I did not cause anything.
I am a journalist – it is my job to “make some news” when they happen. It is not to be my job to be “creative” when reporting.
25 athita // Aug 21, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Portman
Oh, you know very well huh? Sounds like you’re a Thai journalist.
What I was trying to say (to Nick), the Thai press should ‘report’ what happened, not to feed the news to the audience.
During Thaksin’s era, his company AIS pulled off advertising to those newspapers, so what? It’s the company’s right to do so. In fact, do you believe that some of Thai journalist tried to approach Thaksin asking for his money. When he said no, they began attacking him?
For example, Sondhi himself, asked Thaksin for a TV channel . The MCOT then gave him a prime time talk-show. Then they kicked him off. Since then he began attacking Thaksin and Preediyadhon Dhevakul, former governor Bank of Thailand, for not having his debt cut.
Naew Na newspaper was a channel for Prasong Sunsiri, Thaksin’s enemy, to bite the government.
I understand, Thai journalists need to eat, feed their families. They need to stay in the job. So they just report whatever the boss want to hear.
The Nation lost its portfolio so it just sold the office building to survive. During Thaksin’s era, Bangkok Biz News owned by the Nation, twisted the news by retouching the picture of a dead southern rioter. Where is their ethic?
C’mon, even Reader Digest filed the bankruptcy. I know Thai media got affected by economics recession too. But you guys don’t need to make up story and feed that junks to the audience.
26 SARDINES // Aug 21, 2009 at 7:54 pm
hi Nick,
short and simple… I’ve never been disappointed in your work yet. Keep it up. I’ve passed on the link to this to others.
Hope that your book is doing well. Good luck
SARDINES
27 Ralph Kramden // Aug 21, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Taro: The other side of what coin?
28 David // Aug 23, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Nick, you are a legend! I try to read and look at everything you do. where are other places that I can find you work. Keep it up man!
Regards David
What is Your opinion of NEWIN ?
29 David // Aug 23, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Newin is one of the key players in this game. He is rumoured to be the guy who organized the trip into the jungle for the VOODOO ceremony for some of the key players including a ‘Lady in Waiting’ before the last coup. The idea of the ceremony was to pick the most auspicious day to have it, and to bless the coup. Nothing will happen to Newin, He has to much pull. You do not mess with the Voodoo! He will again be a key player when Thaksin returns. watch this space. He also commands the votes of several provinces, good when you are pretending to be democratic!
30 Chris Beale // Sep 18, 2009 at 1:48 am
All sides should step back from the brink.
All sides stand to lose.
Power-sharing is the positive way forward. Everyone should heed His Majesty’s call for unity. His Majesty expresses this far better than I can.
But the alternative – of the country breaking up, of “ruin” as His Majesty calls it, is too horrible to contemplate.
Decades of hard-won progress, as Professor Stephen Young correctly points out, should not be jeopardised.
31 Ralph Kramden // Sep 18, 2009 at 8:54 am
Chris Beale: better late than never eh? Only a month late on this thread. So tell us, what and where is the brink? Tell us why unity matters. Tell us why any of us should take Young seriously (did you read other threads on this?). Tell us why the brak up of the country is the only alternative. And tell us why political contestation should be treated as abnormal.
32 ic // Sep 18, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Does Chris Beale really think Thailand is approaching some tipping point? Can he be more specific? Why he, as a foreigner, is worried about it breaking up? Has he followed a recent East European history for example? And what extraordinary progress is he talking about? Has Thailand become more socially fair and economically progressive country in the last decades? I will be quite pleased to see some answers here, although I do hold my breath here…
33 Chris Beale // Sep 20, 2009 at 1:47 am
Ralph – sorry : I do not have the time, money, energy, or inclination to comment on this website, as often as you.
To the others – I was simply underlining the very deep divisions in “Thailand”, which was named such by the pro-Japanese fascist Phibun, but probably should be re-named “Siam”, in the more democratic spirit of Chulalongkorn. It seems to me there is a huge gap between Sino-Thai Bangkok, the South, Central Plains compared to Lao-speaking Isaarn, and Chiang Mai Lanna.
Given what has happened in eastern Europe it is quite possible “Thailand” could break-up in an eastern European-style civil war, or wars. I pray it does n’t happen. The cost to ordinary Thais, Isaarn, Lao, etc. would be horrific. Ditto the wider regional de-stabilisation. This gap needs to be addressed.
More than anything else, I thank King Bumiphol for giving Thailand/ Siam stability – throughout His Reign. Pure genius, given all those jockeying for position.
Without this stability we would all be far, far worse off.
34 Nganadeeleg // Sep 20, 2009 at 11:00 am
“Pure genius, given all those jockeying for position”
Is that related to this story from the time leading up to the 2006 coup:
“In horse racing they have the stable and the owner of the stable owns the horse. The jockey comes and rides the horse during the race, but the jockey does not own the horse. It’s very easy”
I reckon its about time the jockey and the owner learned some new tricks!
35 Ralph Kramden // Sep 20, 2009 at 11:04 am
Chris: So why comment at all if you are just going to provide dinky comments that have been made hundreds of times before? You save some energy and time. Not sure about money.
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