What are the real motives of Thailand’s protesters?

The Kingdom of Thailand has been in a state of political turmoil since the 2006 military coup that removed Thaksin Shinawatra from power. Over a period of less than 3 years, 4 people have had the honor (or perhaps dishonor) to serve as the country’s Prime Minister: Surayud Chulanont, Samak Sundaravej, Somchai Wongsawat and the current Abhisit Vejjajiva. Except for Surayud, the other 3 had to face either of the 2 different groups of protesters (the red and the yellow-shirts) depending on their political leanings. Samak and Somchai, labeled as proxies to Thaksin, had their share of unsuccessfully trying to convince the yellow-shirts to disperse. Abhisit is in no better state, having to constantly find new routes that would allow him to reach his office without encountering any red-shirts.

On the record, the leaders of each group have claimed their actions as nothing more than a noble and just cause to rid the country of corrupt and unconstitutionally elected leaders. They have also been portraying themselves as defenders of the common people who have been underrepresented and unfairly treated by the government. Some even go as far as rationalizing their actions as an act of saving the country from the brink of destruction. But do they walk the talk? Analysis of their actions seems to prove otherwise.

Besides boosting the sales of locally-manufactured colored shirts and hand clappers, I cannot seem to identify other benefits of the long-drawn protests on Thailand and its people. On the contrary, I can easily list the drawbacks. The occupation of Government House effectively crippled the administration. The closure of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport last December resulted in an approximate loss of 200 billion baht in tourism revenue which could have been used to finance many government projects whose main beneficiaries are the people. In addition, following the announcement to postpone the ASEAN Summit for the 3rd time in a row yesterday, world’s perception on Thailand has definitely taken a hit. This is expected to negatively affect both investments and job creation efforts. Ultimately, it is the people, that protesters claimed to be fighting for, which will be badly affected. So what are the real motives of these protesters (or I should say, those leading the protests)?

Well, definitely not improvement of people’s well being. For the yellow-shirts, I am guessing it is purely the allure of executive power after being in the opposition for quite some time. For the red-shirts, I am speculating Thaksin’s personal goal of getting back his currently frozen assets as the main motivation.

My advice to the Thais, in particular those donning yellow or red shirts: think and ask yourself whether your actions really benefit the country and people. If you are in doubt or your answer is no, then perhaps it is time for you to take those shirts off.