South (again)
I’m sitting on a bus heading out of Bangkok towards Koh Phangan. I’ve passed the magic mile but am not aware of any typhoons. On September 16 last year a military coup ousted the Taksin government in a bloodless coup. It was also the day I arrived or, rather, the coup happened during the night and I awoke to tanks surrounding the parliament and army vehicles patrolling the street. (At least not far from where I was). The military enjoy a fair amount of public support at the time and had committed to elections within twelve months. There is however some that feel the military may be enjoying the air at the top a little too much and putting pressure on the military government’s Council for National Security, CNS. It is hard to ignore the amplified protest rally from Sanam Luang (The Royal Field) that rises above the already ceiling high sounds of Khoa Shan Road. Yes I ventured back there for more punishment. Anyway, it seems the natives are restless and all are not happy in the woods.
On a hot and steamy Bangkok night the sounds of a political rally was like a siren call and I had to make my way down and have a look. Recently the military deregistered the former president’s Thai Rak Thai Party, TRT, over claims of wide spread corruption. The former President didn’t help defend current corruption investigations into his varied business by stating candidly that corruption was simply a way of life in Thailand when interviewed by foreign media in Europe. I think corruption is one of those things you are not supposed to admit to isn’t it? Anyway a lot of ordinary Thai’s don’t see the military as much better. The protest at the park is more of a rolling protest with speakers and crowds there every night leading to another planned prohibited walk and protest on the military headquarters this weekend calling on the military to call elections. The protest itself was organised by the disbanded TRT or rather the Peoples Television, PTV, which has become the current public face of the party. The rallies are also supported by a range of veteran pro democracy groups who make a point of stating they are not there to support TRT but democracy. There doesn’t seem to be friction between the two camps or at least that was my feeling. In fact there was very little security, few police and no military. This could mean two things. The military are as good as there word and not out to stamp on dissent or they are aware that as soon as they begin to clamp down on dissent it would signal a change from a caretaker role and signal a move towards military dictatorship. Whether their seemingly tolerant attitude is a cover I couldn’t tell. With the promised twelve month deadline for new elections looming fast that determination might not be too far away. I did read Taksin Shinawatra has just had all is bank accounts in Thailand frozen because of public prosecutions over corruption. That is something like 73 Billion Baht or a cool two billion seven hundred million Australian. I’m not sure how this will affect a man who is apparently in the top ten richest men in the world and interestingly in the process of buying Manchester City football club in England. I’m sure he isn’t stupid enough to actually put much of his money in Thai banks is he?
I’m heading up to Chang Mi in a couple of weeks to tick off one of those things I never quite got around to do. I actually bought the tickets today at the central railway station, rather than a tourist shop so another small achievement. I don’t know, call me a purist but there is something just a little more authentic fronting up to the ticket window and speaking in broken English through bars as a man sits behind a keyboard going tap tap tap and glancing from you to the screen, ‘yes sir, there are still sleepers available on that service would you like to book?’ I think I have said before I have a romance for trains, dam it, any thing that goes on rails... or near rails ...even railway stations and ticket offices, the great railway pie....delete last. I had actually hoped to head down to Koh Phangan tonight on a train but hadn’t tried to book until this morning so I’m back on the bus. It is now around 11.30 I’m reckoning that we’ll arrive down by the jetty in the mangroves around 6.00 am like last time although I do have my doubts. I normally have a problem with maniacal bus driver who are in a hurry to meet Allah but tonight this bus driver is actually pissing me off for driving so slow. I’m trying to work out his motive. I mean, call me suspicious, but nobody does anything over here without a reason. Some might recall my story about items being stolen from luggage on buses as they travelled south; I’ve suspected he might be driving slow so ‘the boys below’ could engage in their handy work without being bumped about too much but hell he’s been driving slow now for hours and you’d have thought they would have made their way through the luggage by now? The bus driver did pull up at one point. He is isolated from all the passenger who are on the top deck but you can walk down a few steps to the drivers cabin from above. Anyway, I’m keeping a fairly eagle eye on this whole operation and when he stopped I though I’d just go down there to make sure there was nothing untoward happening. Anyway, I didn’t actually see him with a pile of ipods, digital camera and the like but I did sit in his cabin through a few instructions of ‘inside, inside’ just to let him know I was on his case. He is probably totally innocent and thinks I’m just another freaky farang but, well, I will be having a good look in my bags when we get off. Now I suppose it’s time to sit back and dream of falling coconuts
On a hot and steamy Bangkok night the sounds of a political rally was like a siren call and I had to make my way down and have a look. Recently the military deregistered the former president’s Thai Rak Thai Party, TRT, over claims of wide spread corruption. The former President didn’t help defend current corruption investigations into his varied business by stating candidly that corruption was simply a way of life in Thailand when interviewed by foreign media in Europe. I think corruption is one of those things you are not supposed to admit to isn’t it? Anyway a lot of ordinary Thai’s don’t see the military as much better. The protest at the park is more of a rolling protest with speakers and crowds there every night leading to another planned prohibited walk and protest on the military headquarters this weekend calling on the military to call elections. The protest itself was organised by the disbanded TRT or rather the Peoples Television, PTV, which has become the current public face of the party. The rallies are also supported by a range of veteran pro democracy groups who make a point of stating they are not there to support TRT but democracy. There doesn’t seem to be friction between the two camps or at least that was my feeling. In fact there was very little security, few police and no military. This could mean two things. The military are as good as there word and not out to stamp on dissent or they are aware that as soon as they begin to clamp down on dissent it would signal a change from a caretaker role and signal a move towards military dictatorship. Whether their seemingly tolerant attitude is a cover I couldn’t tell. With the promised twelve month deadline for new elections looming fast that determination might not be too far away. I did read Taksin Shinawatra has just had all is bank accounts in Thailand frozen because of public prosecutions over corruption. That is something like 73 Billion Baht or a cool two billion seven hundred million Australian. I’m not sure how this will affect a man who is apparently in the top ten richest men in the world and interestingly in the process of buying Manchester City football club in England. I’m sure he isn’t stupid enough to actually put much of his money in Thai banks is he?
I’m heading up to Chang Mi in a couple of weeks to tick off one of those things I never quite got around to do. I actually bought the tickets today at the central railway station, rather than a tourist shop so another small achievement. I don’t know, call me a purist but there is something just a little more authentic fronting up to the ticket window and speaking in broken English through bars as a man sits behind a keyboard going tap tap tap and glancing from you to the screen, ‘yes sir, there are still sleepers available on that service would you like to book?’ I think I have said before I have a romance for trains, dam it, any thing that goes on rails... or near rails ...even railway stations and ticket offices, the great railway pie....delete last. I had actually hoped to head down to Koh Phangan tonight on a train but hadn’t tried to book until this morning so I’m back on the bus. It is now around 11.30 I’m reckoning that we’ll arrive down by the jetty in the mangroves around 6.00 am like last time although I do have my doubts. I normally have a problem with maniacal bus driver who are in a hurry to meet Allah but tonight this bus driver is actually pissing me off for driving so slow. I’m trying to work out his motive. I mean, call me suspicious, but nobody does anything over here without a reason. Some might recall my story about items being stolen from luggage on buses as they travelled south; I’ve suspected he might be driving slow so ‘the boys below’ could engage in their handy work without being bumped about too much but hell he’s been driving slow now for hours and you’d have thought they would have made their way through the luggage by now? The bus driver did pull up at one point. He is isolated from all the passenger who are on the top deck but you can walk down a few steps to the drivers cabin from above. Anyway, I’m keeping a fairly eagle eye on this whole operation and when he stopped I though I’d just go down there to make sure there was nothing untoward happening. Anyway, I didn’t actually see him with a pile of ipods, digital camera and the like but I did sit in his cabin through a few instructions of ‘inside, inside’ just to let him know I was on his case. He is probably totally innocent and thinks I’m just another freaky farang but, well, I will be having a good look in my bags when we get off. Now I suppose it’s time to sit back and dream of falling coconuts
posted by transavante | 8:56 p.m.
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