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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2014)
ASIA / PACIFIC June 2, 2014 THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 5 Thailand to junta: Please change your soundtrack MUSICAL REFORM. A protester, holding a photo of Thai Army Chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha and a banner of a tank, shouts slogans during an anti-coup demonstration in Bangkok, Thailand. A spokesman for Thailand’s coup leaders said democracy had caused “losses” for the country, as the junta sought to com- bat growing international condemnation and hundreds of protesters angrily confronted soldiers in central Bangkok. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn) By Jocelyn Gecker The Associated Press ANGKOK — First Thailand’s junta seized power, then they commandeered every television channel for round-the-clock broadcasts of dour announcements and patriotic hymns. The public’s verdict: DJ, please change the soundtrack. And after about 24 hours, they did. As the sun set on Bangkok last month, Thailand’s sappy soap operas flickered back on just as suddenly as they’d vanished a day earlier. After a full day of marching music and military ballads of a bygone era, things returned to normal — at least on television. In this day and age, it’s not surprising that the generals who launched Thailand’s coup have set up a Facebook page. But it was a sign of the times that the junta’s vintage tunes didn’t resonate with the Facebook generation. “Since you’re reforming politics, you might as well reform your music,” said one of many postings on the page, which received more than 220,000 likes within a 24-hour period, up exponentially from earlier in the day. Song requests poured in — for Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, the Disney hit “Let It Go,” and for foot-tapping Thai folk music. “Please give us something more uplifting,” said another comment on the B page, which bears the junta’s self-declared name: National Peace and Order Maintaining Council. The running commentary offered a lighthearted and lively sideshow to the otherwise dramatic events unfolding in Thailand, where the military declared martial law and then announced two days later it was overthrowing the government. The country’s powerful army chief, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, justified the coup as a means of restoring stability and avoiding more violence in a crisis that has left 28 Department of Consumer & Business Services Occupational Safety and Health Division - Oregon OSHA: What we do Oregon OSHA has a variety of resources available to help provide a safe place to work. Workers have the ability to file a confidential complaint about unsafe working conditions. Other services include: Consultation A free, confidential service to employers, which provides an assessment of on-site hazards. Training and Education Safety and health workshops are offered at locations statewide and online. Resource Center Videos can be loaned out to employers and returned for just the cost of shipping. Publications are available in Spanish and other languages. Contact Oregon OSHA at 1-800-922-2689 for more information, or find us on the web at www.orosha.org . dead and hundreds injured since it escalated seven months ago. But some on social media joked that the nationalistic hymns could unleash old aggressions. “Play other songs, will you! Your marching music is making me so patriotic that I want to wield a sword and slash some Burmese!” — a reference to Thail- and’s historical enemy and neighbor, now known as Myanmar. The Facebook page was created Tuesday, May 20 to post the military’s announcements and edicts. But the Think you’re an organ and tissue donor? Not if you haven’t told your family. Talk to your family about organ and tissue donation. Talk to your family about donating life. For a free donor card brochure, contact: complaints started streaming in two days later when the martial music replaced all broadcasts on television and radio stations. There was no apparent crackdown on the criticism, despite an order that asked social media sites to suspend services if any messages opposed the coup makers. Not all the postings were about music. While schools were ordered closed Friday, May 23, parents posted pleas for the return of children’s channels: “Can I have my TV back? At least the cartoon channel for my kid? It won’t hurt national stability,” said one father. One woman posted a picture of a smiling shirtless soldier and asked: “Do you know if he has a girlfriend? I like him.” The coup was the 12th since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. One comment on the Facebook page suggested that when this coup is over, it would be nice to have a musical souvenir: “When it all comes to an end, don’t forget to make a CD.” Associated Press writer Thanyarat Doksone in Bangkok contributed to this report. 2UHJRQ,PPLJUDWLRQ$WWRUQH\ -LPP\1DPJ\DO &DOOWRGD\WRGLVFXVV\RXUFDVH ZZZQDPJ\DOODZFRP *UHHQ&DUG1DWXUDOL]DWLRQ)LDQFp9LVD 6SRXVH9LVD(PSOR\PHQW%DVHG3HWLWLRQV '$&$,QYHVWPHQW%DVHG3HWLWLRQV 6:0HDGRZV5RDG6XLWH/DNH2VZHJR25 Donate Life Northwest (503) 494-7888 1-800-452-1369 www.donatelifenw.org www.dcbs.oregon.gov How to identify a possible gas leak. If you smell ROTTEN EGGS it could be a gas leak. And the best thing to do is leave your home and call NW Natural. We’ll be out to make sure everything is safe. Unsure of what to do? Just take a look at our tips to the right. Smell. Go. Let Us Know. 800-882-3377 If you smell a rotten egg or sulfur odor, you hear a blowing or hissing sound, or you see blowing dirt, it could be a gas leak. What to do. 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