On the first day of Advent it almost looks like a Christmas show at Bangkok City Hall. The colour red is dominating as everybody wear red shirts and wave red flags and banners. Some are even wearing Christmas hats. The gathering of thousands of people in front of Bangkok City Hall however has very little to do with Christmas and very much to do with politics.
The colour red is the colour of Thaksin and the current government. It is the colour of United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), who is among the many demonstrators. A pro-government group known as the “Red shirts” are also present together with people from the ruling People Power Party (PPP). They have all gathered in front of the stage at Bangkok City Hall, from where different speakers approach the crowd. Plastic foots and hearts with pictures of Thaksin are used to make a lot of noise, whenever a speaker makes a statement.
“Truth Today” is the slogan and they all want democracy. At the same time they feel really bad about what is going on in Thailand right now.
“It’s not so good right now. I feel really bad for the tourists, who cannot go home,” one of the demonstrators says. When told I’m from Denmark, he continues:
“I heard your Crown Prince was here and couldn’t go home. It is not right that it should be like this.”
Even so the reds have no intention of attempting to move PAD from the airport by themselves. They wait for the verdict on December 2 2008. The court will then decide whether or not the current government is guilty in corruption.
“After that we don’t know what will happen. If the military takes over, if the government continues, if there will be a civil war. We don’t know,” says the demonstrator.
