LETTER FROM SANAM LUANG
White flags flutter but there is no sign of retreat
A lead character mimics the PM in a satirical Chinese opera perform-ed by a Thammasat alumni troupe at Sanam Luang on Sunday.
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We - formally known as the "stupid" crowd - had a new title courtesy of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. This time around our protest was branded as attempted "mob-rule".
Once again, we used it to our advantage, taking it as further inspiration to gather peacefully at the new rally venue - Sanam Luang - on Sunday. And by sunset we had already filled half the ground, with more and more people arriving as the evening progressed. Labour leader Somsak Kosaisuk urged the media to re-phrase the term "mob" and refer to the protesters as a "mass" instead. This drew loud cheers from the crowd - ordinary people from all walks of life, making the time to make their political stance clear. The majority of the orderly crowd sat watching and listening to various speakers from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who took turns on stage. The Dharma Army from Santi Asoke was stationed quietly in specially erected tents on the Thammasat University side. At about 8pm, most of the protesters were resting weary limbs, while others strolled the booths as if they were at a temple fair. The activities were modest but enough to ease anybody's political frustration. In one tent, visitors were invited to criticise the "PM & Co" on A4 paper. "Write anything you want to write," said a staff member. And when each protestor's literary tirade or satirical scribbling was complete, the staff dutifully hung it up for display. The most popular gag being the "square face" (Ai na liam). The demonstrators had different ways of expressing their political sentiments. Some sat with home-made banners featuring an imaginative variety of statements, slogans and complaints. Others wore the stickers being distributed around the venue, attaching them to their T-shirts with pride, and some who arrived on bicycles had even adorned their bikes with banners. It was a bustling scene along the tents near the Thammasat side, where T-shirts and other rally-related items were on sale. The PAD's T-shirts were in strong demand, as were the T-shirts produced by the Student Federation of Thailand. "The T-shirt featuring a square faced Thaksin cartoon is the most popular," reported a student at the booth, referring to the caricature of Thaksin featuring the words "Cunning" and "Get Out!!!" underneath. The "square-face" badges produced by the students were also popular, with demand well exceeding supply. The students had initially struggled to find a factory that would produce them. "We eventually found a manufacturer [who was brave enough] but the cost was still fairly high," said one demonstrator working with the students. There were, as always, free rally-related accoutrements including flags made by the PAD and SFT. This time around, yellow flags no longer dominated the scene. The most sought-after flags were the students' new invention, a white flag with one side bearing a caricature of Thaksin's angular features and the other featuring a foot and the words "Get Out!!!". The supply of free food was plentiful and small time vendors bearing the obligatory yellow headbands also helped to ensure that nobody went hungry. The high spirits, comradeship and sociable atmosphere of the demonstration at Sanam Luang bore strong resemblance to that of the Royal Plaza in previous weeks. Strangers opened friendly conversations with each other everywhere. In fact, despite little chance of any direct interaction or questioning of the stars of the show like Chamlong Srimuang or Sondhi Limthongkul, the protesters main mission appeared to be demonstrating that they could gather en masse and make their voices heard without resorting to violence or force. Demonstrators also enjoyed politically minded entertainment in the form of music, poetry readings, lam-tad (impromptu song and dance), and Chinese opera. But it was the satirical Chinese opera by Thammasat alumni members that drew the loudest cheers and laughter. Unlike a concert or temple fair however, protestors already familiar with the rallies at the Royal Plaza didn't know where, when, or how the Sanam Luang gathering would end. In fact, even at the time of writing, a friend of mine was arriving at Sanam Luang for Round 2, while my colleagues were jokingly speculating about the number of letters like these that I would have to write in the near future... Over to you Mr Thaksin.
Veena Thoopkrajae The Nation
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