Thailand, the blood protest

Thailandiablood Liters of a red liquid in front of the government palace. It is not painting, but blood took in a few hours from thousands of donors. A protest totally new the one organized by the red shirts movement in Thailand. Thousand liters of blood in carboys were passing from hand to hand. It was not a religious rite or a scene from a movie.

The protest was addressed to the premier, Abshisit Vejjajiva, so the blood has been shed at the gates of the government building and of the Prime Minister house.
The middle class has gathered in Bangkok and there they first have blood sample and then they demonstrate against the government. The anti-government protesters are calling for new elections and they are protesting for the past four days.
A protest carried out by supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra to force the government to dissolve Parliament, but Vejjajiva still does not yield to pressure from the streets.
Three hundred liters of blood were collected and spilled in the street, but the premier has not seen it because he was not at home but in the south of the country to attend the cremation of a policeman killed in an ambush by Muslim rebels.

"This blood", said the leader of the Red Shirts, Nattawut Saiku,''wants to show our commitment in asking for democracy. This is an important ritual of curse".
Saiku is not only the movement leader but he is also a communication strategist. That's why everything had been carefully studied in order to give the appearance of a ritual to the protest and publicly launch the "curse". And that's why, at the end of the demonstration, even a Hindu priest has left the imprint of his bloody hand on the pavement in front of the Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister.
The success of the protest is also given by the support of former prime minister in exile, Thaksin Shinawatra, the one protesters would like to have back in power. The population continues to be on his side despite charges of corruption and the recent seizure of nearly a half billion dollars by the court in Bangkok.
The Reds are protesting against the perceived elitism and illegitimacy of the Abhisit government, which came to power via a December 2008 parliamentary vote after a controversial court ruling ousted Mr Thaksin's allies.
Abhisit won't dissolve the parliament because, he says, he cannot act under pressure from a protest.
The country is not new to sensational demonstrations. In November 2008, when a pro-Thaksin government was in power, anti-Thaksin protesters, known here as the Yellow Shirts, closed Bangkok’s two international airports, stranding hundreds of thousands of travelers.
The streets were cleaned in a few hours after the blood protest, but the Red Cross and Shinawatra, too, continues to be concerned about the health conditions of the collection. It's hard to believe that the levies were all done under hygienic conditions.