Thai protests

Recent news has been dominated by the atrocities that have taken place in Mumbai and one has been present in the background of recent news. I am referring to the protest and uprising that has occurred in Thailand.

Essentially the reasons behind the protest are predicated on the fact that the new government is essentially the puppet of their predecessor who was peacefully ousted in 2006 (the current PM is the brother in law of the corrupt Thaskin). The thing that bothers me the most is what is reported in the west. Most headlines read:

Protesters lift Bangkok Airport Siege - Hopes raised for the thousands of travellers stranded in Thailand as seige ends (The Guardian);

Thai flights resume after weeks of protest (CNN);

Mind you these two reports are two days after the government resolved to abolish the current government and remove the PM from power, however, throughout the protests the thing that dominated the airwaves was the plight of the western tourist. Should we not be commending the willingness of the Thai people to peacefully protest and bring about change to a corrupt government. This is a true case where the power of the people has wrought change in a country that has dealt with corruption on a wide scale. This is a true case where a peaceful protest will never find commenserate headline space as that of the violent outbreaks.

As for the 'stranded' travellers - this is in itself a true misnomer. It is true that some passengers were in limbo for approximately 13 hours, however, after the initial take over of the airport they were free to leave the airport without any hassle from the protestors. It seems that the majority of people were happy to stay put and moan and complain about how their governments would not help them. Here is a simple idea: you are in Thailand - enjoy yourself a bit longer and feel relieved that the protestors did not turn to violence. Or take a train ride to KL, Singapore, Phucket, Koh Samui and find yourself a way home another way. Surely, the airlines would be more than happy to offload you from another destination.

The inconveniece imposed on western tourists absorbed the headlines for this event rather than the peaceful protestors who have done something not seen often these days: effect change without resorting to violence.