Protesters develop handy new language
BANGKOK: Hands pointed above head means need umbrella; hands held over head means need helmet; hands crossed over chest means enough supplies here.
Thai protesters are learning a new language, developed within days to coordinate crowds of thousands of people at demonstrations that have swollen in defiance of a government ban and despite the arrest of many protest leaders.
‘‘Everyone has been helping each other out,’’ Riam (19), who like most protesters would only give one name, said.
Some of the words in the Thai hand signal vocabulary are the same as those used by protesters in Hong Kong. Some they made up themselves have now gained common usage.
Three months of protests in Thailand have sought to bring down Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha, a former junta leader, and to curb the powers of the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
They gained added momentum last week with a government crackdown that brought the arrest of several of the highest profile protest leaders and saw police using water cannon for the first time. — Reuters