While Thailand’s political situation see-saws between the yellow shirt pro-government and the red shirt anti-government protesters, one cannot dispute its seriousness and the adverse consequences of their political impasse.
Just the other day, while having morning coffee with a group of regulars, one of them made an observatory remark.
He said, “Do any of you recall from all the reports in the Media, there being an open clash between the red shirts and the yellow shirts?”
A moment’s silence ensued amongst us while we dug into our memory bank for such an incident. Finally, we agreed that there was none to the best of our recollection.
Now that is odd. This guy went on to explain that it is big business with political protests in Thailand. He theorized that the same man owns both, a red shirt and a yellow shirt. And he gets paid for his presence for a show of numbers and might.
That is the reason why there never has been a fracas between the red shirts and the yellow shirts. Hmmm… I wonder.
Either colored shirt protester is dealt by the guardians of peace and order, be it the military or the police.
The situation in Thailand is so unlike in other countries where we’d hear of attacks and counter attacks between opposing political factions and learn about the sad tally of both party’s dead and injured.
I do not know how much truth there with his theory. I have lived and worked in Bangkok in 2000. I do admit that the Thais take great pride about their acumen for diplomacy.
As a nation, Thailand was never colonized by a foreign power. The Thais will not admit that technically the Japanese occupied their country during the Japanese invasion. They pride themselves that there was no armed confrontation with the Japanese as the latter was diplomatically allowed to enter the country as guests. Result? It preserved their non-colonized status.
Perhaps it is this same diplomacy at work as they don their choice of colored shirt to dramatize the ambitions of the mightily rich politicians. As long as there some personal profit to be made and why not double it this time.
General Santos Time
