BANGKOK – Less than six months after the May political riots that made global headlines, Thailand’s capital once again has been seized by an angry, violent mob demanding social justice and holding the nation hostage.
Outraged by comments by Surachai “Hia Hor” Chetchotisak, the head of RS Promotion, that Rungnapa “Annie” Brook had been dating as many as four men when she became pregnant with her baby, supporters of Annie, led by the Friends of Women Foundation, have taken to the streets of the city and occupied most of Rachprasong as well as other key intersections.
“For too long we have allowed the elite production companies and broadcasters control what we see and think,” said Dr. Chertchu Ariyasri Wattana, head of the women’s protection division for the Friends of the Women Foundation. “Women are the majority in this country and we intend to defend Annie’s reputation at all costs.”
An estimated crowd of 150,000 supporters has blocked traffic throughout Rama 1 road, down Ratchadamri and all the way to the Silom intersection, where they have begun setting up barricades in anticipation of a possible siege by RS paramilitary troopers and other forces loyal to Thailand’s powerful entertainment industry.
The protesters have been surrounded by platoons of armed, uniformed men believed to be taking orders from a joint council of RS, Grammy, Bakery, and Channel 3. The council has declined press interviews but yesterday announced via a live Channel 3 press conference that it intended to restore order to the entertainment business, and do only what was necessary to protect Thailand’s revered celebrities.
“These protestors are trying to destoy Thai culture,” said Gen. Somrak Narongwichai, Channel 3 programming head and commander of its 1st Army. “They are uneducated and are probably being paid by Annie to attack our beloved Film.”
A spokesperson for the protestors accused RS of cutting off their blog postings and Facebook updates, as well as spreading rumors on Thai webboards that Annie was not really Thai because she had a Swiss passport. Signs held up by the protestors listed their demands, including pop music sung by actual musicians, movies starring actors who can act, and television series with original stories.
RS, meanwhile, has claimed that the protests are part of a massive Swiss-funded conspiracy to overthrow Thailand’s entertainment industry and eliminate the institutions of soap operas and dreamy boy idols completely. They point to Annie’s frequent phone-ins to the protestors as proof that she is inciting the crowd to break the law.
They also point to last week’s sniper assassination of actor Kittikoon “Joon” Samritpansuk, allegedly one of Annie’s other boyfriends, as evidence of a “third hand” which maybe trying to suppress the truth about the baby’s paternity.
Ordinary Thais appear to be dangerously divided by the issue, causing the deepest ever-rifts in what was once a harmonious society. Polls indicate that divisions follow gender and age lines, with women and younger people blaming Film for being irresponsible, while men and older Thais seem to think that it’s Annie’s fault for not acting like a good girl in the first place and having sex before marriage.
