Food, music, and games on the street may sound more like a scene from a street festival, but everyone on the street had adorned their outfits with Thai flag accessories to signify their opposition to the government.
A man carries grilled pork for a meal at Pathumwan intersection during the `National Picnic Day’ held by anti-government protesters across Bangkok yesterday. Grilled pork is a popular delicacy from the southern province of Trang. patipat Janthong
Feb 2 was election day when everyone should exercise their right and duty as a Thai citizen by choosing to vote.
But unlike most people in the North and Northeast, for a great many Bangkokians Sunday was ''national picnic day'', as coined by the protesters.
The streets around the Prathumwan, Rachaprasong and Asoke intersections, normally filled with cars, were turned into walking streets.
Somsak Labmahanon, a 54-year-old business owner from Tung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat, has been in Bangkok since Saturday with his wife and daughter. They joined the picnic at Prathumwan intersection because it was the main rally stage.
''My whole family choose not to go to vote today because we seriously need reform before the election. We believe the current election and political system are unjust. We don't get to be part of this system at all,'' Mr Somsak said.
He wanted change to the way country was run. The government needs to decentralise to local communities. Locals should have full right to manage and administer the resources themselves, he added.
''We don't get the budget from the government to improve or develop any thing on our own in my province,'' he said.
Mr Somsak said he doesn't like the current government because he think they break the rule of law, they are unethical, and set policies that are ''clearly corrupt''.
He was concerned about the people who were attacked, injured or killed from fighting for the cause. ''We are all Thai, we respect the same father which is the King. Therefore, we shouldn't be fighting over this issue,'' he said.
People who harm other people don't believe or respect the democratic system. People have their own right to think and express how they feel. Hurting and killing should not be accepted.
''I believe we don't go to vote today for the right reason. We have our right to think this way. When we feel like this election is not right or just, we should react against it. I have faith and courage to come to protest against the government,'' said Mr Somsak.
Mr Somsak compared the country to a human being. This person (Thailand) has a very big head with skinny limping legs.
Bangkok is the centre while people in the provinces are not treated the same as those in the capital.
''By law, the government should give 35% of the budget to local administration organisations to administer and develop the community. But we don't get that kind of money in our province,'' said Mr Somsak.
He thinks people who are in power achieved their position through the power of money. They don't really get to be part of the government by winning a clean vote.
''The change I want to see in our country is a clean and transparent election,'' said Mr Somsak.
''We may not be as educated as people in Bangkok but our pride and loyalty to the nation is not any less,'' he added.
At other locations many people joined in with the picnic day. Nid, 35, from Bangkok, was one of the thousands of people who did not go to vote yesterday. She was in a group of five girls who chose to gather at the stage in front of Central World Plaza. Nid believes in reform before the election.
However,She is proud that she has the right to express how she wants democracy to be defined and developed.
''If going to vote means we are going to get the same type of corruption from the government, I'd rather not vote. To be honest with you, the politicians I see are not quality ones,'' said Nid.
As soon as reform happens, Nid says she will vote. She expects a better quality of politician after the reform. She also hopes that a reform will put an end to corrupt governments.
''If we agree to vote today that means we accept the same form of corruption to happen over and over again. Our country need a change before moving on,'' Nid said.
''One thing that we need after the reform is someone who is willing to develop the country without being corrupt. We want Thailand to be corruption free. We shouldn't support any form of corruption at any level,'' she added.
Ms Jo, 31, who walked around one of the shopping malls in the Asoke area is one of the few people who thinks and sees the situation differently.
She said she went to cast her vote in the morning before she came to do some shopping at the mall.
''I can proudly say that I went to cast my vote today but I vote for no one. I just went to practice my right as a Thai citizen who lives in a democratic country,'' said Jo.
She thinks that just because she went to vote, that doesn't make her a government supporter. In fact Jo doesn't believe in either Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra or protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.
Ms Jo said the politicians that run in the election are just the same old faces that everyone knew was corrupt.
Jo doesn't believe in the reform, she thinks that reforming the country will mean nothing if the people who are running the country are not willing to sacrifice and devote themselves to developing it.