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Attending the Anti-Government Protest at Siam Paragon

Posted by Stuart at 08:53 PM on March 30, 2006

I was debating whether or not I should post this entry. If you are reading it, then I guess I clicked "Publish" and I should start it off with an apology to my parents. I apologize for making you worry, but I went to one of the government protests in Bangkok last night.

I wasn't planning on attending any of them. After all, Thailand is not my country and I figure that protests are for protesters, not spectators or tourists. Besides, the gatherings were very inconveniently located all the way across town near the Grand Palace and the Government House.

But yesterday's protest was held right underneath the main Skytrain station at Siam. It was just a quick 20 minute train ride away. Needless to say, I couldn't pass up the offer.

I was impressed with what I saw. It was a huge turnout. The 6-lane road between Siam Center and Siam Square was full of people all the way from Discovery to the Wat Padumavanaram. Most were sitting in the road on mats, waving flags, faning themselves, chatting with their friends, listening to the speeches, and giving an occasional "Thaksin Awk Bai!" (Thaksin, Get Out!)

It was the most peaceful protest I have ever seen. The people seemed determined, but not overly emotional. In typical Thai style, there was a lot of laughing and joking, and tens of thousands of smiles.

Here are a few pictures that I was able to take, to give you an idea of what the protest was like: