Action illustrates 'government functions on blood of poor'
More than 300 litres of blood donated by 70,000 anti-government protesters were splashed in front of the eight entrances to Government House late yesterday, amid cheers and a foul smell.
Half an hour later, about 100 men dodged around security to the Democrat Party's building and sloshed out another 18 litres of blood.
Reporters, police and soldiers looked on in amazement as the blood was being poured. For the protesters, however, the demonstration illustrated their claims that the government - considered by them to be the representative of the aristocratic system - functioned on the blood of the poor.
The protesters formed a 200-metre-long line at 8am yesterday to donate their blood. When the process was completed at 4pm, 70,000 syringes and needles were disposed of, along with huge piles of cotton wool.
Saline solution was put in water containers to store the blood, along with anti-coagulation solutions. More than 300 litres, stored in 40-gallon drums, were collected.
A group of 60 Pheu Thai MPs donated more than a litre of blood at the House of Representatives, but the bulk came from protesters.
Nat, 34, a resident of Samut Prakan, who joined the rally on March 12, was among them. He was spooked by the blood collection campaign but overcame the needle fear to show his support for the movement. In preparation, he slept early on Monday night, to wake up at 6am in next morning.
A 47-year-old Kalasin resident, Pian Thonpanya, said she was proud to be part of the donation. She vowed to do anything, even give her life, to help the red shirts achieve their goal of ousting the government.
A 43-year-old Khon Kaen resident, Bandit Oonjai, said he was not afraid of the donating process and had confidence in the hygiene standards used.
"These are our rights. We can do anything with our blood," he said.
With concern for hygienic standards, donors went through the standard blood-donation procedure - showing IDs and receiving blood pressure and heart examinations by physicians. No one aged below 20 was allowed to give blood.
Weng Tojirakarn, a leader of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship, said all medical devices had been sterilised and all needles used only once. Overseeing the donation were 20 volunteer physicians from Chulalongkorn, Siriraj and Ramathibodi hospitals, and about 200 nurses.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council threatened to punish nurses who joined the blood-donation process. But a 45-year-old male nurse, Manot Khemsamithi of Lop Buri hospital, said he had come to help as he believed the red shirts had the right to express their opposition to the government.
"At least the donation was carried out by professionals. This is part of the demonstration which has nothing to do with the council," he said.
Amorn Saeloa, a 30-year-old doctor from Rajavithi Hospital, was sympathetic to the protesters, who willingly joined the donation campaign. "They were not hired to do that. I plan to donate my own blood after seeing this," he said before the process ended.
