Published on December 06, 2004

Tens of thousands gather to collect paper cranes, read messages of peace and solidarity

Thailand's three crisis-plagued southernmost provinces went into frenzy yesterday as thousands from all walks of life gathered at various locations to snatch origami birds dumped from the sky as part of a government campaign against the ongoing violence that has claimed about 500 lives this year.

Thousands of people, mostly children, gathered at Pattani's city hall, scrambling to snatch up millions of paper birds gliding down from military transport planes, which swooped down to make the drop-off.

For a brief moment, there were smiles and laughter among young and old alike. A sort of collective consciousness developed between those gathered at the designated location in this Muslim-majority region, where rampant violence has taken its toll on local residents and torn into the fabric that holds the Buddhist and Muslim communities together.

Like other provincial seats, in Yala and Narathiwat, downtown Pattani came to a standstill as local residents stopped what they were doing to look up at the sky and watch the military cargo planes circling the sky in preparation for the drop.

Fear of a stampede had officials urging the public through loudspeakers to control themselves as children shoved and pushed one another in an effort to snatch the falling paper birds from the sky. But by day's end, there were no injuries and any stepping on of toes or shoving was forgiven.

About a dozen drops were made in the heart of Pattani, with the first five drop-offs missing their targets and landing at the nearby hospital and city hall.

Some of the birds were blank but many had writing on them. One said the rest of the country "is with you through this difficult time", and another "for the people of the south with love and concern".

There were some practical jokes as well, with one having "Pojaman Shinawatra", the wife of Prime Minister Thaksin, written on one wing and "Bt100,000 reward" on the other.

Social groups were also out in full force. A Tai Chi exercise group gathered at a designated park in downtown Narathiwat to show their moves and Village Scouts sporting their bright yellow outfits gathering to show unity and uniformity.

National television stations were broadcasting live from |various locations in the region, with reporters and cameraman permitted to go on the military flights to take footage of troops pushing out the paper birds.

A group of local Muslim elders at a local teashop said they were indifferent to the campaign, which appeared to many critics as a ploy by Thaksin to put up another pre-election smokescreen around the ongoing violence, for which there is no end in sight.

The day ended with a parade in Pattani in which various schools and government offices marched to a rallying point in the city, followed by a large fireworks display.

In Yala, 20,000 people gathered at the main youth sport field in Muang district to catch the birds.

Many locals were seen carrying umbrellas, which they used in a bid to catch as many of the paper birds as possible. With that simple tool, a person could catch ten birds at a time.

The gathering caused traffic congestion in the area but many of those interviewed by The Nation said they were happy that people in other parts of the country wished to see peace in the South.

Don Pathan

The Nation