rent-a-mob at Thai political rallies

If people are paid to vote for the ruling party, is it still a democracy?

Thaksin's rally had to coerce 'supporters', but attendance at opposition rally was voluntary

Last weekend's rallies tell the story for those willing to open their eyes and ears. On the one hand, we have a well-disciplined group of people all outfitted similarly, all behaving similarly and responding as if on cue. Many of those people were dragooned or paid to come.

Bt500 is a substantial incentive. Better than slaving over a hot wok of cooking oil all day for perhaps Bt200 or Bt300 profit and more than double the Bangkok minimum wage.

The other rallies contained many different groups of people, as well as many in singles and pairs. Some went to support one or another of the organising committee. No suggestion of being paid or forced to come. In fact, most had to fund their trip to Bangkok entirely from their own pockets. But in these rallies, they all come with the same bottom-line demand: remove the immoral prime minister.

One cannot help wondering how many people would have been at the Friday rally in support of Thaksin if attendance had been voluntary and people had to pay their own way. And isn't it a breach of neutrality by public servants to make them act as press gangs for the prime minister? Presumably, we will see a lot more of the rent-a-mob crowds leading up to Thaksin's sham election on April 2. At what point do these press gangs constitute a breach of electoral law?

Gareth Clayton

Bangkok