Fighting Tangmo speaks for latest protest generation

The star of all stars at the moment is actress Pattaratida “Tangmo” patcharaveerapong thanks to a hard-hitting speech from the main rally stage, a considerably different reading than she usually gives on the soap operas. With her father Sophon at her side, Tangmo drew loud cheers when she branded Thaksin Shinawatra a corrupt politician who was damaging the country. 

“Just don’t come back to prostrate yourself in our homeland again,” she threatened the scudding ex-premier. “I swear I will fight you with my life, and if I don’t keep my word” – she turned to her listeners – “you guys can just step on my face.” 

Tangmo admitted she never thought she’d be standing there next to the Democracy Monument railing against the government, but her dad had instilled a love of democracy in her from childhood. Former student leader Sophon was, of course, feeling a little déjà vu. 

“Forty years ago I was here on October 14, but the fact that I’m here again means our mission is not completed,” he said. “After a long fight, we still don’t have genuine democracy. What we have is a lot of bad cops.” Tangmo stepped back to the microphone to say, “I have October 14 blood in me, and now you know why.”

The next day Tangmo was again rubbing shoulders with the mob at Srinakharinwirot Prasarnmitr University. This time her sweetheart, Pakin “Tono” Khumwilaisuk, accompanied her. She made no speeches but was sure ready to symbolically blow a whistle on amnesty for all.

 

You can’t top Tao

And winning the award for Best Male Actor in a Protesting Role, Somchai “Tao” Khemklad offered a dandy speech of his own on Wednesday night, very concise and very effective. 

Democrat Party chieftain Korn Chatikavanij got Tao briefly onstage, where he admitted that he too had once committed a wrongdoing and was caught – but he paid the penalty. 

“I was in prison for 15 days. How about them – what they are doing?” Tao said, presumably referring to the likes of Thaksin, convicted of crime yet unwilling to face justice. It was only one sentence, but it touched many people, and was repeated endlessly on the social media. 

 

Singer loses his voice

One celebrity who people wished was speaking out – since he’s long been regarded as a social activist – is yuen-yong “Ad Carabao” Opakul. But the songs-for-life hero would rather focus on flogging his new album, “Sawasdee Prathet Thai”.

At its unveiling on Wednesday, reporters wanted to know where he stood on the amnesty bill. The one-time monument to democracy crumbled. Ad said he’s not ready to take a stand because he doesn’t know enough about the issue. “Let me study it in detail and come back to it,” he said. But he won’t be showing up at the protest rallies. “I’m preoccupied with my album.”

Huh. Let’s feed that through the Twitter Machine and see what happens. “Hypocrite” seems to be a popular word. “He writes songs to campaign about Thai products but wears Levi’s and rides Harleys,” went one comment at on ASTV Manager Online. “He writes songs about poor people but he’s rich. He writes songs about democracy but he’s neutral about politics?”

But of course this is a democracy, at least a baby one, and we have to respect Ad’s right to have no opinion. Probably.