Politics is not colour blind

Most Thais are undergoing stress nowadays, due mainly to the prolonged political conflict. Politics has become the main topic of discussion anywhere you go.

The strain starts before you leave home. Many people are trying to avoid wearing red or yellow - the two colours that have become synonymous with the pro- and anti-government protestors.

When in public, it's wise to choose the topic of discussion carefully and make sure the person you are chatting with shares your views. If not, be prepared for a serious argument or even a fight.

The ongoing conflict appears to have affected virtually everybody - including people who are normally not keen on politics. My teenaged niece, for instance, who previously never seemed interested in political matters, said to me recently that she was puzzled about the stalemate. She didn't know which side was really right or wrong. The best answer I could give her was: "Both sides have their reasons and it depends on how you look at them."

However, looking at things from a different angle, one can say that this conflict has made Thais much keener and more active in politics. I believe voters nowadays are more prudent in picking their favourite candidates.

So, I suppose this interest can be considered a development.

As a political news reporter, this is a stressful period for me - long working hours, lack of sleep and mixed feelings about the conflict.

In the meantime, life has become exciting.

With the People's Alliance for Democracy seizing Suvarnabhumi Airport and concerns about a military coup and a civil armed conflict, I was given a great opportunity to "recharge" my journalistic energies.

I went to the airport to get first-hand information about what was really happening there. At the airport I caught up with an old friend, whom I had not seen for a long time, and managed to make a new friend who works as a photojournalist.

When I took them to a popular duck noodle shop nearby, the shopkeeper whispered in my ear: "Are you the one who sang that DAAD song?"

He was referring to the pro-government Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship group.

My immediate response was "No. No." I was not dressed in red that day so I wondered why he would be asking me a question like that. We also were a bit nervous about his intentions as he had the television tuned to the pro-PAD ASTV channel and the walls were full of pictures and articles depicting the "police-killing-protesters" incident on October 7.

He later appeared to be aware of our nervousness. "You look like the woman who sang the DAAD song on the PAD stage," he said Ah, we got it!

Then my friend picked out some 20 pictures that he had taken during the October 7 police crackdown on PAD protesters and handed them over to the man, who became almost jubilant that he had met like-minded people. Before we left, the shopkeeper's wife insisted we take a big bag of barbecued meatballs, even though we tried to explain that we were already full.

On my trip to Suvarnabhumi, I even saw a pickup truck full of ice cream heading for the PAD protest site. I asked one of the women near the vehicle and she said that she and her colleagues had bought the ice cream as a treat for the protesters. She declined to tell me where she was working.

It appears that the Thai traditions of hospitality and caring are now becoming limited to "people of the same colour". People are becoming extremely attentive and loving to those who share their political preferences, while they are getting really mad at complete strangers whom they know to be on the opposite side. The violent street clashes over the recent days could explain these differences.

Our society is becoming dangerously divisive these days and we are almost at breaking point. Hopefully there will be a new beginning.

The skies always become bright and blue after a storm after all. Maybe then we can start anew, with more strength and experience.

However, since we are still trapped in this crisis, it is wise to look at all the angles carefully, because this could be the perfect time to turn a crisis into an opportunity.