But, nothing happened. All parties on the streets behaved themselves and avoided confrontations with others.

Protesters, despite some harsh words from speakers, were well-behaved. They peacefully walked in a group and gathered in a pre-arranged corner. Police officers did not carry weapons and once the public areas got too crowded, they extended them to accommodate more protesters. Although there were soldiers on the sidelines, there were also female police officers and some officers even distributed leaflets advising protesters to protest peacefully.

   The good news is if more protests are arranged and this peaceful conduct continues then a repeat of Bloody May incident can be avoided. However, the peaceful demonstrators were given some bad news when a rumour started circulating that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had hit the sack at 10pm that night. If that was the case then he must have slept soundly because hours before that he had already vowed to stay on in power despite threats of daily protests.

   It seems both parties are determined to achieve their goals. But will determination decide the winner?

Life in fast lane

Bangkok for some time has used a quota system for cars, which sets a minimum for the number of people travelling in a vehicle at peak times on some congested roads such as the six-lane Silom Road, which is dotted with so many office towers.

   But the rule is not seriously enforced, evidenced by the many cars with one occupant that ply the roads at rush hour.

   Jakarta's traffic is more serious than Thailand's. In the Indonesian capital, authorities have created so-called "fast lanes" in which only cars with three people can drive.

   City officials are so strict in enforcing the system that the need to use the lanes has created a new occupation. Poor women have become "car jockeys" who ride in a car so it can meet the quota. During peak times, they on the footpath, surreptitiously signalling cars with a finger gesture, hoping they will be picked up and paid for their services.

   Drivers pay jockeys whatever they want but the going rate is 10,000 rupiah (Bt39) for a jockey who can help them save precious minutes in Jakarta's notoriously heavy traffic.

   Now that the minimum wage in Thailand is on the way up, no Thai labourers would be interested in this job if the fast-lane policy is adopted here. But don't worry, foreign labours are abundant here.

achara_d@nationgroup.com