Say ‘cheese’ to the PM’s Google Earth
 The Nation
December 9, 2005 - Am, Orr and Noi are office ladies working in downtown Bangkok. These good friends are hanging out together at a fast-food outlet near the Skytrain after another hard day’s work. Like many others, they can’t really make up their minds as to whether they should go to Lumpini Park to listen to Sondhi’s latest Friday talk show or go shopping at the just-opened Siam Paragon.
This is a big dilemma today not only for these ladies but also for many others living in the nation’s capital. They do care about the national problems, but they also love shopping. Hell might break loose in Lumpini Park – nobody knows. But Siam Paragon, Southeast Asia’s largest mall, is a shopper’s paradise.
Am: So what should we do? I think we should all go to Lumpini Park to listen to Sondhi’s bashing of the prime minister. Otherwise we might look like fools.
Orr: Can’t we just buy Sondhi’s VCD and listen to him later on? I don’t want to miss the spectacle of the grand opening of Siam Paragon.
Noi: I’m not sure I want to go to Lumpini because I didn’t dress well and I don’t look good today. I’m afraid Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra might laugh at my appearance when he sees me on Google Earth.
Am: Don’t worry, you look fine. Just look at the sky and wave to the prime minister. You can even blow him a kiss if you like.
Orr: Do you think the quality of pictures of Google Earth is good enough? Can I order a print of a picture of me taken at Lumpini?
Am: Maybe. But you might want to call Government House to check on that. They might be offering a photo-printing service through a satellite network. I’ve heard that Khun Sita and Khun Suranand like to log on to Google Earth too. They are seriously preparing to count the heads of those attending the Sondhi rally today.
Orr: What for?
Am: It’s part of their job. If they can come up with a small figure, they’ll probably get an Interior portfolio from the prime minister. If they produce a big figure for the Sondhi rally, the prime minister will certainly give them a hard look that will send a shiver down their spines.
Noi: Still, I don’t want Sita and Suranand to laugh at me as they might compare me to Sarocha Pornudomsak. I don’t think I match her beauty. I think Google Earth will make Sarocha look more beautiful than ever.
Am: Khun Sondhi has pledged to attract some 500,000 people to his reality show. If 500,000 people really do show up at Lumpini, how would he know it? He just can’t do the counting on stage with Sarocha. Even if they really start counting, they won’t be finished by midnight.
Orr: That’s why the government needs Google Earth to do the counting. Technology doesn’t lie.
Noi: How do you know? Last time Khun Sondhi claimed that his reality show attracted more than 100,000 people. But our hi-tech PM said that Google Earth photos indicated that only about 7,000 to 8,000 turned up.
Orr: Who should we believe then? I think I trust the prime minister because he uses Google Earth, whereas Khun Sondhi might just do quick guesswork just to boost his image.
Am: I don’t know what’s going on with our country. We now have a farmer mob demanding debt forgiveness at Silom, a teacher mob in front of Parliament calling for an end of decentralisation, the Sondhi mob at Lumpini urging for regime change and the Siam Paragon mob that’s shopping like there’s no tomorrow.
Noi: How big are these mobs? What’s Google Earth telling the government?
Am: By the count it made using Google Earth, the government said it saw only about 500 farmers rallying in front of Bangkok Bank. That’s peanuts. But the teacher mob is a big deal – 50,000 showed up for that rally. Some of the teachers have burnt their Thai Rak Thai ID cards and vowed never to vote Thai Rak Thai again. Google Earth will be zooming into Lumpini this evening. I don’t think they need Google Earth to monitor the Siam Paragon mob.
Noi: Is thiswhat we call democracy? Should we belong to a mob to show that we are responsible citizens?
Orr: I’d rather be part of the Siam Paragon mob. As you know, I really want to check out the latest beauty products and see what’s on sale.
Noi: Come to think of it, I agree. It’s better that we go to Siam Paragon now. I’m not in the mood to have my picture taken by Google Earth.
Am: As you wish! We can leave the national problems and the mobs under the glaring eyes of Google Earth behind us for the moment. Let’s go shopping.
Thanong Khanthong |
