Shared smiles for best of enemies

Woody Miltajinda had the two warriors on “Chao Doo Woody” on Modernine TV so that everyone could see them sharing the same room at the same time without coming to blows. 

They’ve been pals for two decades, it turns out, and their friendship has endured all those smoky People’s Alliance for Democracy rallies and the fiery “Occupy Ratchaprasong” movement. 

Sai affirmed that Tu has a great sense of humour and can keep any group in giggles. “Nobody ever believes me when I tell them this!” Sai said. 

For his part, Tu characterised Sai as a kind and solid friend. “In democracy, the beauty is in the differences, and I believe it’s a hidden beauty.”

Soopsip hears that Tu and Sai have three interests in common: drinking, women and karaoke. Only ideology has kept them from tearing a strip out of Bangkok nightlife together lately. But Tu evidently likes to call Sai when he’s had a few and they talk about the good old days. 

They’ve met only three times in the past seven years, and even those meetings weren’t planned. “In the old days,” Tu said, “I’d spend over 200 days in a year with him.” He added, in fact, that he’s close to all the PAD leaders except Sondhi Limthongkul. 

Sai said he and Tu were very close at the time of Black May in 1992, but they’d followed different drummers since then. 

For his frankness – and for appearing on TV all smiles with the enemy – Sai was promptly lambasted by fellow yellow shirts. Criticism flooded the ASTV Manager website. It’s one thing to maintain a friendship, but entirely another to go on a TV chat show, went one anonymous comment. Imagine Sondhi or Chamlong Srimuang laughing with Tu. 

Interestingly, Tu wasn’t raked over the coals by the rest of the reds. But an arrow did fly in Woody’s direction. Why was he bringing these guys together, anyway? “Perhaps he’s a closet red shirt?” someone suggested.

That’s pretty funny, not just because you hang your shirts in the closet but because any fan of Woody knows his “politics” begin and end with a show’s ratings. 

Just imagine the numbers he’d get if he got Thaksin and Chamlong on the same show! Soopsip would be watching for sure.