What do you do if you hate Thaksin Shinawatra with a passion, but your small business in the Ratchaprasong area is also being ruined by the nearby protests?
Somboon Numthipjunthajareon, a small business operator in the Ratchaprasong area, disagrees with the prolonged antigovernmentrallyeven though he shares the samegoal as protesters to uproot ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s influence on politics. SHONAYANG
The solution is clear if you are a little eccentric like Somboon Numthipjunthajareon _ start a "Hunt for Thaksin" fund.
He was evicted from his shop for this activity, but all the while tried to talk the mob into leaving.
Wearing a headband in the colours of the Thai flag and sporting other anti-government paraphernalia, Mr Somboon, or "Master Bobie" as he calls himself, poses for photographs in front of his high-end optical shop Isoptik, whose front windows are plastered with DIY signs disparaging former prime minister Thaksin.
"I want to set up a 5-billion-baht 'Hunt for Thaksin' fund which I will use to capture him and then imprison him on an island and end all of Thailand's problems," Master Bobie said of his Napoleonic plans for Thaksin.
He was coy about how much he has managed to gather under this so-called fund, saying he only recently started it. But when asked how he planned to capture Thaksin, Master Bobie was clear about his somewhat dubious strategy: "I have friends in the airline business and if Thaksin gets on any plane we can track and capture him."
Mr Somboon has been so absorbed by the cause of bringing down the so-called Thaksin regime that he turned his shop into a headquarters for his "hunt".
It caused quite a stir at the Erawan complex where his shop is located and the proprietors of the complex handed him an eviction notice after growing sick of his behaviour, which included distributing leaflets, using megaphones and blowing whistles inside the building.
Ratchaprasong is a commercial hub in Bangkok and like many other busy intersections, it is now sealed off and occupied by People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protesters in their attempt to oust caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Between the sharp drop in business and the eviction notice, Isoptik closed.
"With the protests, my income is 40% less. I have lost $300 million (9.8 billion baht) worth of business so far," he claimed.
Mr Somboon proposes that commercial business areas should not be occupied by mobs for more than seven days a month. Instead, the mobs should move around to different locations.
"It is wrong to shut down Bangkok everywhere. You can have the mob in a commercial area for maximum of a week but not like this. The mob is still here," he said.
Chai Srivikorn, the president of the Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association, told the Bangkok Post that businesses in the area normally generate 280 million baht a day, but since the PDRC protests at the intersection began on Jan 13, revenue has dropped by 60%.
"The number of Thai and foreign customers visiting the area has substantially dropped," said Mr Chai.
So Master Bobie tried to negotiate with the mob. He talked to them and tried to convince them to move out of Ratchaprasong. How did he do?
"They tried to hit me," Master Bobie said. "But they could not because I have an invisible shield around me."
He has now retreated to his one-man show of trying to capture Thaksin, sending daily messages to media outlets and posting on social media wherever he can.
When asked where his dedication to the cause comes from, Mr Somboon said he is not a yellow- or red-shirt advocate, but is just fighting for small businesses and the poor.
Asked about the losses suffered by small businesses, Akanat Promphan, PDRC spokesman, said some sacrifices are required for the country's benefit.
He said continued pressure on the government along with minimal effects on local businesses would be the ideal situation.
"It is unfortunate some businesses are affected and we are fully apologetic. We regret any negative effects and we want to minimise those effects," said Mr Akanat.
The PDRC has closed two major stages at Lat Phrao and the Victory Monument, but major intersections in the commercial Ratchaprasong area remain occupied.
Mr Somboon plans to relocate Isoptik to another complex in Bangkok but is continuing with his efforts to hunt down Thaksin while trying to get the protesters to move.
"I am ready to die every second. I cannot go out because Thaksin will shoot me with a sniper," he said.