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Thailand: There might be blood [Update: There was]

Here’s a novel (and disgusting) political tactic from Thailand’s "red-shirt" protesters: Organizers of the demonstrations in the Thai capital said they’re requesting that each protester donate between two and 20 teaspoons of blood – 10 to 100 cubic centimeters – to meet their goal of more than 2,000 pints (1 million cubic centimeters). That would ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
Athit Perawongmetha/ Getty Images
Athit Perawongmetha/ Getty Images
Athit Perawongmetha/ Getty Images

Here's a novel (and disgusting) political tactic from Thailand's "red-shirt" protesters:

Here’s a novel (and disgusting) political tactic from Thailand’s "red-shirt" protesters:

Organizers of the demonstrations in the Thai capital said they’re requesting that each protester donate between two and 20 teaspoons of blood – 10 to 100 cubic centimeters – to meet their goal of more than 2,000 pints (1 million cubic centimeters). That would require between 10,000 and 100,000 people – roughly the crowd’s peak size – to donate.

"The blood will be taken from the body and democratic soul of the Red Shirts," said a protest leader, Natthawut Saikua, referring to the popular name for the protesters. He said they would start recruiting medical staff for the blood drive Tuesday morning.

They threatened to pour the blood on Government House if their renewed demand was rejected by 6 p.m. Tuesday (7 a.m. EDT, 1100 GMT).

I thought it was going to be hard to top the great Latvian cow head protest of 2009 in stomach-turning outrageousness, but this literal blodbath might do it. The red cross is also complaining about the waste of perfectly good blood.

The protesters — supporters of ousted Thai Prime Minsiter Thaksin Shinawatra — want current leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and hold new elections. 

Even grosser update: Al Jazeera‘s Wayne Hay reports that blood isn’t the only vile substance the red shirts have turned into a political weapon (HT: Boing Boing):

The red shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have been busy mixing up a disgusting and smelly concoction of faeces and fermented fish to throw at anyone who might get in their way.

What this has to do with reforming the Thai political system, I’m not sure. 

Update 2: They did it.

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Tag: Southeast Asia

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