Rain on the Scarecrow

Many people in South Thailand are unhappy with the current government, particularly Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They blame his policies and "heavy handed" way of dealing with protests for contributing to the the ongoing unrest in the predominantly Muslim deep south. The insurgency has claimed the lives of over 2,000 people in the past two years and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

This week a new form of protest was used by locals: dozens of scarecrows, each sporting a photo of Thaksin's face, were seen around the southern town of Pattani. The scarecrows were positioned at busy intersections, in front of schools, and even attached to garbage cans. In addition, each scarecrow had a message criticizing Thaksin or the Thai government.