February 4, 2006, The Day the Thais Stood Up

Thais gathered aroung King Rama V Statue in Bangkok to peacefully demonstrate against the government on February 4, 2006.

This was my personal account of participation:

I had to teach in the morning. When that was done, I barely had time to pack. I hurriedly got my things together, caught 2 buses to the rendezvous, and got there at exactly 1PM.

There were thousands of people already; some arrived at around 3AM. Most came from countryside provinces. I found a shady spot to sit and wait for the appointed time.

While waiting, I looked around and studied people. They were people of all ages, mostly middle-aged; low- to middle- to upper-class, from all walks of life--farmers, college students, civil servants, housewives, businessmen; men and women. They either came alone, with friends, with families, or with their fellow villagers.

Everyone had a common goal--to oust the most corrupt Prime Minister in our history.

To my regret, young college students were not a major part of the crowd. There were too few of them. Past political uprisings were successfully brought about by the power of the students. But no more. I didn't know where they all were. Where had all our future "intellectuals," in whom we put our hope and trust, gone? Had they all been busy at computer game rooms, bars, clubs, or shopping malls?

I supppressed a choke at the sight of a few old ladies in their late 70s at the rally. I thought of my intellectually dumb, deaf, and blind mother, an emeritus professor of the most prestigious university in Bangkok. She was thoroughly brainwashed by expertly orchestrated government-controlled news and propagandas. She was readily duped, easily fooled, and totally convinced by the serpent-tongued Prime Minister and those "prostituted" anchors and commentators on national TV channels, which, of course, were tightly controlled by the government. Oh, how I wish for my mother to wake up from the nightmare in disguise.

I was interviewed by 2 correspondents, a Thai and an American from California. They asked about my reasons for being there and speculations of the day's event. I voiced my reasons, which were the same as the majority of the Thai people, why the PM should step down. I didn't anticipate any harsh crackdown or confrontation. In fact, if there ever was an order to use force on the people, I believe the armed force would side with the majority. How could they crush the people whom they had sworn to protect, especially when these people were asking for the much needed political cleansing?

Alas, around 3:30PM, there were some activities. I moved closer to the stage, to about 100 yards away. There were variety music and talks. Finally around 7:30, the leader and the moderator of the movement, Mr. Sondhi Limthongkul and Ms. Sarocha Pornudomsak appeared.

Mr. Limthongkul gave a pep talk and read the formal petition. In essence, the petition outlined the wrongdoings of the PM and the cronies and the reasons why he should bow out of the office. At the end, we the people asked for His Majesty's consideration and judgment. Around 9PM, Mr. Limthongkul and a few others left to bring the Petition to the Privy Council President's residence.

I left to come home at this point simply because that was the objective we all went there for. The previous itinerary planned the end for the gathering at that point.

As I walked back, there were still people coming in. At the last estimate, the number of participants was around 150,000+. I took a cab home. The streets were quite surprisingly deserted. Was it because people stayed at home to follow the development for fear of violence? I got home at 9:40PM feeling proud of my participation. It made me cherish democracy and freedom this land bestows on us.

It is the corrupt leaders we must change. People have the say in how the country is governed. Politicians were given the privilege to serve the country and its people. They were not given the total authority to transfer national assets into their own. They were not given a green light to come in and rob the country, look down on the people who trusted them, and behave as if the country were their own properties which they could give any part to certain people in their families and circles. These crooks were shamelessly allotting Thailand among themselves. You got it all wrong, evil fellas. This land belongs to us, its people.

In retrospects, these are my comments:-

-The rally should have been done at the Constitution Monument. But that could cause inconvenience for motorists, or those who didn't care about *their* country, or those who didn't care about what the government and Congress were doing to *our* country. This choice of location was probably most sensible.

-There should not have been an overnight stay. I personally did not think it was necessary. Since we left the matter in His Majesty's hand, we should disassemble and respectfully wait for His
royal comments.

-I was extremely glad there was no bloodshed or confrontation. This proved we were a civilized people.

-Solidarity and camaraderie were evident during the whole event. I witnessed thoughtfulness, kindness, and gracious gestures. People were well behaved and orderly.

-The real momentum was not there. There were fewer participants than I expected. Were these people "brave" only in front of their computer monitors or in the comfort of their homes? Were they afraid of being hurt or fear of retribution/retaliation? Were they not compelled to show support for feedom?

I heard about threats people received--from their bosses or organizationss. There were reliable accounts on how countryside patriots were illegally discouraged or obstructed by provincial police while en routing to Bangkok.

Unlike the event of October 14, 1973, we lacked the strong support of college students. It again saddens me to think about Thai youths.

-Major figures or key personnel from opposition parties did not seem to front or support the movement. They could just come as individuals without the badge or label of their parties. They could say they came as concerned citizens like any of us.

They made me suspect that they are only waiting to take advantage of the situation without having to put in any effort. They would wait until we pave their way with our lives. Yes, politicians are truly smart opportunistic scavengers.

-Certain senators showed their support.

-The cops who had the jurisdiction over the locale performed their duty admirably.

-Mr. Limthongkul vowed not to take any political office at the end of his leadership. This showed his sincerity in the whole ordeal. And I believe him.

-Thailand does not need excessively smart leader. We only need an HONEST one who has a team of equally HONEST and able teammates. The just leader must also know to whom he/she should assign which responsibilities.