Mentors Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 BANGKOK, March 16 (AFP) - "I did this to show the spirit of Thai people fighting injustice," said Chuleeporn Ruangsinprasert, 52, as a syringe of her blood was poured into a bottle for a messy show of political defiance. Standing in a white tent littered with dirty cotton swabs, the retired university worker had joined thousands of red-clad protesters taking part in a mass blood collection to be spilled at the gate of the premier's office. "This is special, it is coming from my heart. I want to give my blood for society so we are no longer controlled by the elites who have all the power," added Chuleeporn, as she pressed her small puncture wound. Thousands of Red Shirts, who support populist ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, queued from 8:00am to make their donations in two large tents at the Bangkok rally ground where they have been gathered since the weekend. Faced with a refusal by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva a day earlier to meet their demand for immediate elections, the Red leaders announced their plan to spill the blood on Tuesday afternoon. More than 50 medical volunteers were on hand to extract 10cc of blood from each protester, part of a collection it was hoped would reach 1,000 litres. The Red Shirts -- a mixture of women and men, old and young, rural and urban -- are united by their anti-elitist struggle and the colour of their clothes. "It hurts a little bit but it's okay. I'm doing this for our children, for democracy," said 61-year-old rice farmer Kumpong Wongchompu, who had travelled 450 kilometres (280 miles) on a truck from northeastern Khon Kaen. Clad in a straw hat and wrap skirt with a red shirt, Kumpong was part of the mass of rural poor who form a large part of the pro-Thaksin movement. Thaksin, who was deposed in a coup in 2006, lives in exile to avoid a jail term for corruption. His supporters say his ousting was illegal and have been involved in months of tit-for-tat protests with a rival anti-Thaksin campaign. Doctors and nurses used rubber tourniquets to help extract the blood before pouring it into 5-litre water bottles and throwing each dirty syringe into a plastic bag on the floor. A few donators winced and looked teary-eyed as they clenched their fists, waiting to be handed a piece of alcohol-dipped cotton wool that told them their ordeal was over. "I'm afraid of needles and I can't look at blood, but I'm doing this for democracy. I love Thaksin and I love the Red Shirts," said Bangkok salesman Samrit Ruttapab, 34, who covered his face with his hand as he gave his blood. Volunteers offered donors cartons of sugary malt drinks and plasters at the rear of the tents. Outside, dozens of weary Red Shirts slept in hammocks, on the ground and in the back of trucks in the 35-degree-Celsius heat (95 degrees Fahrenheit). Speakers nearby took turns to rally the crowds with speeches, met with a wave of noise from the red movement's trademark foot-shaped plastic clappers. Suda Rangkuporn, a 44-year-old linguistics professor from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, said the blood donations had upped the stakes in Thailand's riven political scene. "This is a political innovation," she said. "Blood has more meaning than just colour. Blood is life and we give it for democracy. We are ready to give our lives to democracy," she said. http://www.mysinchew.com/node/36492 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted March 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 UDDs collect one million cc protest govt. and call for fresh elections Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 "Blood is life and we callously waste it like foolish thoughtless gits." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted March 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 [color:red]Reds complete blood ritual[/color] The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship on Tuesday performed a ritual to bring down the government, pouring blood taken from its supporters at all four gates of Government House. UDD leaders claimed the red-shirts donated a total of 300,000cc of blood. About 60 MPs of the opposition Puea Thai Party also gave blood for the ritual The donation process started about 8.30am and ended about 3.30pm. The red-shirts then marched from Phan Fa bridge, leaving about 4pm - with the blood in twelve 5-litre bottles, two large buckets, and 50 syringes - and arrived at the Government House shortly before 5pm for the ritual. At 4.50pm, Jatuporn Prompan, a UDD leader, a man dressed in white as a Brahman, and another man holding a Buddha statue in his arms, walked to Gate No 2 where a religious rite was performed. The brahman cited spells and incantations and poured an amount of blood in front of the gate. After that the brahman took some of the blood from the ground to write letters on the concrete posts of the gate. The ritual was closely watched by Pol Maj-Gen Wichai Sangprapai, the Metropolitan Police Division 1 commander. Only a small number of the red-shirts and news reporters, many of them foreigners, were allowed to witness the ritual. Others were kept behind a cordon of more than 2,000 police. The red-shirts also poured blood at Gate Nos 1, 3 and 4 with Mr Jatuporn and UDD leaders Nathawut Saikua and Wiphuthalaeng Pattanaphumthai leading the riual. [color:red]All went well during the ritual. There was no trouble.[/color] Police had told protest leaders beforehand that the red-shirts would be definitely not be allowed to intrude into Government House. If they tried they would be stopped by police on standby fully equipped with anti-riot gear. Fire engines, ambulances from the Vajira, Police and King Mongkut hospitals, and medical staff, were on standby in the Government House compound, From Government House, the red-shirts returned to Phan Fa bridge, from where they proceeded to the Democrat Party headquarters on Setthasiri road to perform the same ritual. At the Democrat Party head office, four companies of police under the command of Metropolitan Police Division 2 chief Pol Maj-Gen Saroj Promcharoen, one company of border patrol police, one company of provincial police from Samut Songkhram and one company from Chanthaburi were deployed for security. The police did not carry weapons. About 50 plainclothes police were also in the area to take pictures and videotape the ritual, keeping a record in case of any offences being committed. Metropolitan Police chief Pol Lt-Gen Santhan Chayanont inspected the scene ahead of the red shirts to ensure readiness. Earlier, Mr Jatuporn announced that the red-shirts would go the the house of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in Sukhumvit Soi 31 tomorrow for a similar ritual. http://www.thai360.com/fbb/showtopic.php?tid/467266/post/467266/hl/Yellow/fromsearch/1/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 All show...no go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 If they were serious, they'd chop of their little finger like the Yakuza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coss Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 Judging from this a bucket and a half looks to be the extent of this. I'm more impressed about the description of "weary" Thais sleeping in hammocks . Why protest if there's n opportunity to nap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 Million is a magic number! Where are the million Reds? There were 100,000 something. Where are the million ccs of blood? At most there were 300,000 cc and apparently a lot less. I'm amazed that some supposedly intelligent board members believe the pro-Thaksin crap just as much as the allegedly poor folks who drove their own cars and pickup trucks to Bangkok do. Just proves what PT Barnum said long ago. I've been here 37 years this month. Seen governments come and go, witnessed a few "uprisings" and heard gunfire around me. Maybe that clouds my judgment. Nah, WTF do I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 I've already said, if they were being paid to be there, there would be a lot more. Most anti-government people can't afford a trip to Bangkok. Sorry, I'm not prepared to let you guys have it both ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 The Red leaders are running out of money. It's all they can afford. If the pay was good, I'd put on a red shirt and go cheer the devil himself! I'm available. p.s. If the reds represent the poor folks, than there mustn't be many poor folks outside of the north and the northeast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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