OPEN THOUGHT
DON SAMBANDARKSA
A nation divided. It only takes a simple ribbon with a political slogan in a posh up-market shopping centre to open up the wounds that divide communities, families, relationships and indeed the country, with the North and Northeast on the one hand and Central and Southern provinces on the other. Yes, the ugliness caused by Thaksin Shinawatra has spilled over even into a simple IT press conference.
I was escorted out of the Paragon shopping centre by security staff, between a Sun Microsystems MySQL press conference and an Asus P320 PDA phone launch.
My crime? Being dressed like a poor farmer and having an anti-Thaksin ribbon on my backpack. I was given the choice of removing the ribbon or leaving, so I told the security guard I would rather be escorted out rather than renounce my right to peaceful expression of my political views. One does wonder though, what the options would have been had I been wearing an anti-Thaksin T-shirt.
Things started to get nasty when I asked the security guard for his name and if it was Paragon's policy to remove customers they did not like just like this. The man, later identified as Sitti Siprom, responded that this is private property and Paragon does not need to give a reason for having me removed, nor was he under any obligation to give me his name.
However, the tables turned when half way to the lift to escort me to the basement and out to the road (yes, obviously everyone who dislikes Thaksin is too poor to drive a car to Paragon). I felt a bit uncomfortable that I might be led into a quiet corner without any witnesses to what might have happened. So I finally told him that I needed his name and a photo so I could write a good report about it and that incidentally, I am a senior reporter for a small newspaper called the Bangkok Post that he might have heard of.
The guard hid his face from the camera and tried to radio for backup. Only he could not call for backup as his red (consumer-grade, analogue) Motorola walkie-talkie could not reach his dispatch centre. So, I was in the rather comical situation of being "escorted" around Paragon by a security guard shielding his face as he searched for an area where his radio could get through to base to call for support.
I wonder if someone intent on causing real damage would be patient enough to follow one guard around while they searched for coverage. Yes, a knife-wielding maniac would definitely pause his bloody rampage while the security guards tried to find a signal. Paragon really needs to give Motorola a call to get a Tetra digital trunked radio system installed as soon as possible.
Only after a long while did another security guard arrive, somewhat bewildered at the situation and together they escorted me down to building management.
Initially every one of my captors said that they were not allowed to act as a spokesperson for Paragon and I was to wait for the boss. That was an odd predicament, as I was captive, but sort of in control in a weird kind of way with many obviously fearing the repercussions of my capture.
Things soon cleared up when the building manager arrived, a much more reasonable man by the name of Sarn Santisakul.
Turning to full interview mode with notebook and camera out of my backpack, I asked if it was true that Paragon does not allow poor farmers in the mall and if it was policy to kick out anyone with an anti-Thaksin logo. I also asked if it was true that Paragon's owner once said in an interview that she could not stand to see poor farmers in moh hom (farmers' clothes) in her perfect mall. Sarn smiled and said that it was probably not the case.
While he admitted to ordering anyone holding a political gathering or causing a disturbance to be removed, as long as I did not cause a disturbance, cause anyone to be injured, break goods or scare others, I was welcome to walk around Paragon even with an anti-Thaksin ribbon on my backpack. He also gave me his personal phone number to call if I was ever stopped again by a security guard.
Now, would that have happened if I were not writing for the Bangkok Post and identified myself as a member of the press? I would probably be kicked out onto the road by Santi only to have to sneak in later to get my car from the car park when the guards were not looking.
The ribbon, which said koo chart or "free Thailand" was not intentionally out of my bag, but had worked its way out after a long day of photographing Sun executives among the sharks and fish.
The farmer's outfit was intentional as, as a dark-skinned Thai, I have long had problems with security at high-end malls and offices, not just Paragon. These guards seem to let through foreigners and light-skinned rich people all the time, but always give us native Thais a hard time. Am I accusing them of racism? Yes, years of covering interviews in posh officers and malls has led me to no other conclusion.
I wore it as a statement: Objecting to the unfair social elitism that favours the rich in the ultra-capitalist society of modern Thailand, one that has replaced true opportunity for the poor with promises of a better tomorrow that will never arrive.
As for the anti-Thaksin statement? To each his own. For me it was not the corruption, not the purchase of sub-standard smart ID cards, the lock-in for readers, the bizarre interpretations of the Thaicom Satellite contract, the unused e-passports. Nor was it the 73 billion baht sale of Shincorp to Temasek one working day after the law on telecommunication company ownership was changed.
For me, it was the abduction and murder of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. Somchai disappeared on March 12, 2004, my birthday. So every year, I am painfully reminded how this fighter for the poor paid the ultimate price for standing up against the Thaksin regime.
This led me to look into the massacre of protesters at Tak Bai and Krue Se. Remember how the Thaksin government told us that they died because it was Ramadan and the protesters were too weak and died of dehydration and exhaustion?
The videos, many of which are still on YouTube, show another most violent story of how they died, one that brings tears to the eyes of anyone with a soul. Then there are the (so far) 1,449 people killed in the "war on drugs" that have been proven not to have had anything to do with drugs at all.
Freedom of speech is important in a democratic society. Democracy does not mean becoming a monotonous shade of grey with everyone afraid of putting forward their views. It is about a vibrant tapestry of different beliefs and ideologies; about being tolerant of different views and agreeing to disagree in a civilised manner. Some of my interviewees are vehemently pro-Thaksin, some are radically anti-monarchist, but I am professional enough to get their point of view out without distorting their technology message or kicking them out of the interview room. Indeed, I respect these people I disagree with more than those who would rather not know and are happy living in a gilded cage with their iPhones, Prada bags and perfect Paragon shopping malls.
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