Tens of thousands of Thai protesters have occupied central Bangkok. The anti-government protesters, known as the red-shirts, are calling on Prime Minister Vejjajiva [I can't help it -- every time I see his name in print, it makes me think of "vajayjay"] to dissolve parliament and hold early elections. The red-shirts are mostly supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, an exiled former telecoms tycoon that was overthrown in a 2006 coup. Many of the red-shirts are from rural areas and say their mission is to fight for democracy.
The red-shirts have been holding regular protests for weeks. Saturday's demonstrations in Bangkok resulted in central roads in the capital being blocked, traffic halted, and two of Thailand's biggest shopping malls were forced to close. The crowds defied warnings to leave or face arrest. The government of Thailand says the rally is illegal and so is negotiating with them. A BBC correspondent said the atmosphere of the rally is still good-natured and peaceful, and that there are no signs of security forces.
Prime Minister Vejjajiva said he will hold elections by the end of the year (which is a year earlier than the planned elections), but the protesters rejected the offer and say that it is not enough. There have already been two rounds of talks to resolve the crisis -- but both were unsuccessful. The red-shirts say they are only willing to hold more talks if the prime minister brings forward his timetable.
In response to the red-shirts, on Friday business leaders, academics, and people from the tourism industry decided to come together and wear pink shirts to show their support for the government and to call for an end to the crisis. Several thousand turned up, but it did not compare to the tens of thousands that have attended red-shirt rallies. (Full Story)
And why choose pink (which is near red on the color spectrum)? I can totally imagine a scenario of someone digging through their closet to find a pink shirt and pulling out a somewhat ambiguous pink shirt. When his pink-shirt friends pick him up for the rally they say to him, "Didn't you get the memo? We're wearing pink, not red! It will look like you're supporting the red-shirts."
"This is pink."
"No, I'd say that's a coral red or maybe even a carmine red. Possibly ruby. But definitely not pink."
"It's dark pink! Well, you're one to talk. Your shirt is purple."
"It's fuchsia pink! And at least I'm not trying to pass off salmon as pink like this guy over here..."
"Hey!"
If I were a t-shirt manufacturer, I would definitely set up shop in Thailand. Remember when the yellow-shirts shut down the Bangkok airports last year? Between the red-shirts, pink-shirts, yellow-shirts, and I hear there's also a blue-shirt movement, that is a lot of t-shirts. I'm just saying...
An interesting (short) article that highlights Japanese social attitudes towards work and family. Japan has a very work-dominated culture, where one's job is very important and workers put a lot of time into their profession. Related to this, as more women have entered the workforce over the decades and have become dedicated to their professions, less and less couples are having children (or are having fewer children). Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world (the population is projected to decrease by a quarter by the middle of the century). A contributing factor to the low birth rate is that Japan continues to hold traditional gender roles in terms of family responsibilities. Women are still expected to be the main caretakers for children, and many Japanese women feel it is too difficult to have a child and work (especially with so little support).
This BBC article is on a district mayor in Tokyo that is -- gasp -- actually taking paternity leave. And it's making front page news in Japan. He is doing it to set an example and he's hoping to change attitudes. This mayor is the first local government leader ever to take paternity leave. In fact, no other local government leader -- male or female -- has taken time off after the birth of a child. Japanese workers are reluctant to take time off after a child is born, even though Japanese law allows either parent to have up to a year off. In Japan, only one in 100 fathers take any paternity leave. In Bunkyo ward, which is the ward that this mayor is from, no male employees have taken paternity leave.
However, in an indication of how work-oriented Japanese society is, this mayor will still be doing some work during his two weeks of paternity leave. He has said that he will remain in the ward, in case of emergencies; and he will be going to a council meeting on Thursday. (Full Story)
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