Transmenu powered by JoomlArt.com - Mambo Joomla Professional Templates Club

DURING my vacation in Phuket two weeks ago, the only time red shirts, yellow shirts and multi-coloured shirts were mentioned was when we were plying the numerous clothes outlets dotting the Patong Beach strip.

Knowing how chatty and friendly the Thais are, especially with foreign visitors, they expressed sheepishness when we asked about the chaos in Bangkok.

The traders and restaurateurs were quick to say that what was happening in the capital did not affect their lives too much. However, they were also hopeful that the stand-off would end soon as any form of instability is bad for business.

They were quick to explain that the sparse tourists arrivals were due to the tail-end of the tourist season when western visitors return home for the summer.

However, while we flew in and out of Phuket, those using the airport in Bangkok may have had their travel plans scuppered.

Tony, a visitor from London, was worried that he may run out of money if the trouble extends to the airport. "It’s bad enough that the Icelandic ash cloud is causing havoc, we don’t need another reason for not being able to catch our flight."

In any case, the reason for this musing is that while I am far away from the action in Bangkok, the news reports coming out of respected international media seem to paint a picture as though the whole country is in a state of emergency with "civil war" being mentioned many times.

Granted, this is a far serious situation where at least 65 people have died and could escalate into something bigger.

However, troubles there reminds one of the various protests in our own backyard – from Reformasi to Hindraf and our very own yellow shirt demos – where friends and family from Singapore, US and London were emailing and calling even my folks in Kelantan frantically to ask "how bad is the situation?"

Yes, granted a few water cannons in Dataran Merdeka is nothing compared to live bullets in Silom, but the angling of the reports seemed to suggest that the demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur were spiralling out of control and the government was about to declare an emergency.

There were even "live" pictures of trouble on the streets of Malaysia which were repeated throughout the day, giving the impression that we were in a constant state of war.

This was as far from the truth as the day of the Hindraf demos. I was a stone’s throw away attending mass in Sentul, the only inconvenience being the closing down of LRT stations in the central district where it took me an extra hour to get home by bus as we decided against driving due to the road closures.

Sometimes – depending on the agency and those calling the shots and signing the cheques, news is exaggerated as it fulfils an agenda, but often because it just makes good TV.

I had come across many media practitioners on the field who do not exactly show the whole picture.

My experience at being silenced on a Bernama TV talk show over the fight against corruption is one first hand account.

In Baghdad, I witnessed the western propaganda machinery in action as there were "exclusive" press conferences for western media; even entertainment for selected news organisations and the likes of CNN correspondents being feted like royalty by the Allied Forces.

As one who brings the news, it is an obligation to tell the whole story, without sugar-coating or trimming it.

At the same time, we at theSun at least are fully aware that it is best to leave certain issues in the back burner if there is a certainty that they would cause unhealthy reactions which could impact national security.

Back to Bangkok, it is a good reminder to all that the democratic right to protest was respected by the authorities for the first few days.

Here, this right to express oneself is often met with batons, tear gas and the wet sting of water cannons.

However, as with all peace-loving people, there must be a limit to protests and a need for compromise. This is because they risk losing the sympathy of the public they claim to represent if things spiral out of control and the streets become unsafe.

Having said that, it is incumbent on democratically elected leaders, and the administration that they control, to lend their ears to the disgruntled and not misuse the machinery at their disposal at the drop of a hat.

Contrasting KL and Bangkok is like comparing apples and oranges, but Terence has seen enough trouble and bloodshed to cringe at the thought of mass protests. He is reachable at terence@thesundaily.com