From: Tanya Koch, intern at UN Information Services in Bangkok
To: My fellow interns worldwide
Subject: “Mai pen rai!” — REPORT ON LIFE IN BANGKOK!
Ever since I started my internship with UNESCAP Information Services in Bangkok last November, there have been protests and crowds of people in the streets of Bangkok. Dressed in either yellow or red, the political situation has grown more tense, even in front of the UN compound in the government’s district. I remember quite well the sea of yellow shirts in front of the UN, the run to the airport and my private inbox filled with emails of concern from family and friends. At present, the most commonly seen colour around the UN is bright red t-shirts, while in other parts of the city it seems like an unimaginable dress code.
Getting to and from work now takes twice as long, almost 45 minutes for a 5-kilometre trip on a local bus. The usual traffic congestion from 7am to 9am is counteracted with music, newspapers and a healthy amount of self-ironic serenity. The bus route changes on a daily basis, as the blockades seem to change over night and noone knows where to go. If you are lucky enough to find a taxi in the afternoon, you might not feel as lucky when you find the driver unable to get out of the “red labyrinth.” In fact, you’re better off looking for a motorcycle hoping not to run into too many people with the same idea. This week, a friend of mine and I planned on taking a motorcycle taxi to get to Bangkok’s Metro, which is the fastest way of getting anywhere during times of traffic congestion. The motorcycle driver had to manoeuvre his way around the moving crowd and eventually we ended up further away from the metro station just because it was easier to get to. I felt like apologising for inconveniencing them, but as usual the typical Thai answer was “Mai pen rai!” – Thai for “Never mind!”
One morning, I came to work elbowing my way through a sea of red in front of the UN entrance with people holding up posters saying “UN help!” (though maybe they should have written these messages in English rather than Thai, I thought.) Another day, coming from outside, the UNIS team was stopped on the road in front of the UN for 15 minutes, as the stream of red shirts running towards Government House would just not end.
Sitting in my office now, I can hear the protesters outside my building on a platform, and sleepless interns living close by say it continues throughout the night.
I am surely not qualified to write a political statement, a case study or my personal opinion on the political situation in Thailand; and there is no doubt that that there are far worse places. This is a report on my thought-provoking encounters in Bangkok in a politically decisive period of modern Thai history.
Drawn by curiosity, I sometimes visit the blockades “at my own risk”, as I was told. There are restaurants, shops, children playing around, and Thai people smiling at you – not only for you showing interest in their concerns, but apparently no political turmoil can deprive the Thai people of their unique catching smile. ■
To: My fellow interns worldwide
Subject: “Mai pen rai!” — REPORT ON LIFE IN BANGKOK!
Ever since I started my internship with UNESCAP Information Services in Bangkok last November, there have been protests and crowds of people in the streets of Bangkok. Dressed in either yellow or red, the political situation has grown more tense, even in front of the UN compound in the government’s district. I remember quite well the sea of yellow shirts in front of the UN, the run to the airport and my private inbox filled with emails of concern from family and friends. At present, the most commonly seen colour around the UN is bright red t-shirts, while in other parts of the city it seems like an unimaginable dress code.
Getting to and from work now takes twice as long, almost 45 minutes for a 5-kilometre trip on a local bus. The usual traffic congestion from 7am to 9am is counteracted with music, newspapers and a healthy amount of self-ironic serenity. The bus route changes on a daily basis, as the blockades seem to change over night and noone knows where to go. If you are lucky enough to find a taxi in the afternoon, you might not feel as lucky when you find the driver unable to get out of the “red labyrinth.” In fact, you’re better off looking for a motorcycle hoping not to run into too many people with the same idea. This week, a friend of mine and I planned on taking a motorcycle taxi to get to Bangkok’s Metro, which is the fastest way of getting anywhere during times of traffic congestion. The motorcycle driver had to manoeuvre his way around the moving crowd and eventually we ended up further away from the metro station just because it was easier to get to. I felt like apologising for inconveniencing them, but as usual the typical Thai answer was “Mai pen rai!” – Thai for “Never mind!”
One morning, I came to work elbowing my way through a sea of red in front of the UN entrance with people holding up posters saying “UN help!” (though maybe they should have written these messages in English rather than Thai, I thought.) Another day, coming from outside, the UNIS team was stopped on the road in front of the UN for 15 minutes, as the stream of red shirts running towards Government House would just not end.
Sitting in my office now, I can hear the protesters outside my building on a platform, and sleepless interns living close by say it continues throughout the night.
I am surely not qualified to write a political statement, a case study or my personal opinion on the political situation in Thailand; and there is no doubt that that there are far worse places. This is a report on my thought-provoking encounters in Bangkok in a politically decisive period of modern Thai history.
Drawn by curiosity, I sometimes visit the blockades “at my own risk”, as I was told. There are restaurants, shops, children playing around, and Thai people smiling at you – not only for you showing interest in their concerns, but apparently no political turmoil can deprive the Thai people of their unique catching smile. ■
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