Support for Suthep, amid doubts on plan

On Friday, Suthep proposed four new protest measures as a part of the escalation: 

1. Urging protesters to sign a petition to impeach the 310 MPs who supported the amnesty bill;

2. Condemning senior public officials, described as ‘lackeys’ of Thaksin Shinawatra, by urging protesters to blow whistles at them;

3. Boycotting products and services related to the Shinawatra family;

4. Urging government officials nationwide to stage a general strike and join the protest.

Even if the crowd responded passionately to the announcement, a majority of the protesters admitted they were a bit disappointed with the escalation. They thought that the measures were not strong enough to put pressure on the government.

“We agree with the measures, but we don’t think that they will be effective,” a group of nurses from Nakhon Sawan said. They expected more from the escalation and want to support the cause as much as they can, but they are afraid that politicians will not be pressured by civil disobedience. “We are feeling hopeless,” one nurse admitted.

This sentiment is shared by many other protesters, including Niyom Kitjanawanchai, a small business owner. He further stated that the current protest does not have the power to dislodge the government. A revolution or intervention by the military may be the last and only solution, he added.

In addition to the general disappointment, there were also mixed opinions on some of the measures proposed by Suthep.

Natee Jindarattanaporn, an accountant, and Nongnuch Jaichuen, an academic, said that they agreed with all the measures, especially the signing of a petition, as this produced concrete evidence which would lend weight to the protest. They also believed more than half of government officials would be willing to go on strike.

Meanwhile, a group of teachers disagreed with this, because state officials have duties and they felt a strike would only hurt the public, as people depend on them. “The measures need to have a direct impact on the government, not the citizens because the government doesn’t care about them,” one of the teachers explained.

The protest has also attracted a number of foreigners to the rally. Tomasz Kowalski, a Polish photographer and traveller, said: “I agree with what the people here are standing for and I think that this is the right way to protest because it is peaceful.”