Shutdown having a wee effect on the economy

They are close by, clean, convenient and (thank heaven) free of charge. The cleaning ladies at the big malls don’t seem to mind the “surge” in traffic and are quite friendly. Why this is the case had generated some speculation, with protesters hoping the “maids” were simply showing solidarity with the anti-government movement. But, no. While some of them might side with the cause, the chief reason for their good cheer is mercenary.
Filmmaker Poj Arnon went for a quick splash amid the protesting at the Asoke intersection the other day and later shared his experience on Instagram. He’d had lunch at Terminal 21 and then visited a restroom, where one of the caretakers asked him if the protesters would be returning again the next day.
Thinking she might be riled because of the extra work, Poj hesitated to answer. “Why do you ask?” he said. The angel of the loo said she wanted them to come again – because a lot of the protesters who were paying urgent visits also gave her tips!
It’s enough to warm your toilet seat.

That old gang of mine
The rally sites meanwhile might also serve as great places to hold class reunions. Many of the protesters and volunteers gathering at the sites are alumni of the same schools, but Class 7 of the Kasetsart University Demonstration School (Satit Kaset) in particular enjoyed a nice nostalgic gathering. One of the alumni, caretaker ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap, inadvertently arranged a big get-together for them.
Anudith had come under much criticism for not doing enough to block websites and Facebook pages that assail the monarchy, but his former schoolmates were sympathetic, seeing as he’s the minister in charge of a difficult task. Many of them had remained politically neutral – until Anudith recently made a notorious remark at a Centre for Administration of Peace and Order (Capo) press conference.
The man in charge of smart media declared, quite stupidly, that the anti-government protesters were drug addicts being paid to attend the rallies. The remark had its inevitable effect – a lot of his friends abruptly became his former friends and headed out to the protest sites, some volunteering their time, others donating their money.
The alumni as a whole were in an uproar, their fury eased only by the fact that Anudith’s “allegation” actually boosted membership in the alumni association! And on Day 1 of the Bangkok Shutdown on Monday, many of the minister’s former classmates gathered at the Lat Phrao rally site to hand out water, food and money. They had a sign reading “Satit Kaset Class 7, anti-narcotics and not ungrateful to the King. All the anti-government support from Satit Kaset is ‘courtesy of’ Anudith.”