BANGKOK – Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has rushed back from his overseas tour to declare 100 days of mourning in honor of Bozo the Clown who died Thursday.
In a televised speech, Samak said Thais should dress colorfully in the next 100 days and that orange-tufted hair, bulbous noses, and red, white and blue costumes would be provided to all government employees. Samak said he himself would wear size 83 clown shoes.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) accused the government of trying to distract the people from focusing on the cabinet’s poor handling of the country.
“The PPP is using the death of Bozo for political gain. It is a disservice to the memory of this great clown,” said Sondhi Limthongkul. “All Thais love Bozo and it is not up to the government to dictate how we will honor him.”
Political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak said that the move was likely to make Samak wildly popular among children, of which there are 65 million in Thailand. He said that the move would dilute the colorful PAD protests, a ploy similar to the one used in 2006 when the Thaksin government encouraged all Thais to wear yellow in honor of HM the King, another god-like figure in the country.
Wrote Thitinan in today’s Bangkok Post, “Thai politics is entering a new era. Now everyone can dress up ridiculously like the PAD. This will certainly undermine the PAD’s status as the biggest clowns in town.”
