Streetwise: Abhisit's full house means some go hungry

 About 400 guests crowded the ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel Bangkok, including a foreign reporter who flew directly from the US to attend the dinner talk hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.

 Aside from those who booked seats in advance, many appeared at the last minute and that required the organiser to set up extra dining tables.

 Then, coming with the prime minister was a huge entourage, apart from the security officers there to guard him from some 50 red-shirted protesters gathering in front of the hotel, waiting to pelt him with eggs. (Unfortunately for them, Abhisit walked from his car through the kitchen. And he also used the route to make his exit.)

 Abhisit adroitly charmed the audience throughout his half-hour speech and 40-minute question-and-answer session, judging by the periodic applause. It seems the prime minister was a speaker who perfectly fit the night's theme of "Restoring Confidence and Moving Thailand Forward".

 Certainly, all were impressed with his take on geographical affinities. "There will be no regional division. I'm engaged with the Northeast, I'm in love with the North, I'm at home in the South, I just happen to live and work in Bangkok."

 Smiles remained on all faces even when Abhisit was quizzed on issues such as the pending cases against the People's Alliance for Democracy for the airport closures as well as the appointments of several PAD members.

 Indeed, Abhisit made a brief grimace when asked if the government's Bt116-billion pump-priming package, which is less than the damage caused by PAD as estimated by the Bank of Thailand, is enough to revive the economy.

 All the prime minister's men must be impressed with their leader's performance, though at the expense of their stomachs.

Due to the large audience, there were not enough seats to go around for Abhisit's followers. Panithan Wattanayagorn, his secretary, was seen wandering around the ballroom for half an hour before being seated.

 There was no seat left even when Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij arrived later. He would have had to stand tall if one man did not sacrifice his seat at the Coca-Cola table for him.

 Later, seen in the hand of each follower was a hamburger, while the guests enjoyed their rocket salad and pan-fried sea bass.

Nobody should mind that, for the sake of the nation.