April 27, 2010: hundreds wait in line at Red Shirt registration table

That’s a mighty sobering video of the burning of Central World, Asia’s second largest shopping complex. Especially interesting is the cheering of the red shirts as Central World burns at 2:35 into the video, applauding no doubt the hundreds, maybe thousands of jobs lost at the center to middle and lower middle class workers who won’t see a paycheck for awhile.

The disturbing idea that many, if not most, of the protesters were paid (500 to 1000 baht per day is the figure we’ve heard from many sources) is underscored by the registration table that was located in the protest zone under the BTS Ratchadamri station, at which protesters filled out a form, were entered into a database, had their pictures taken, and received an identification card. The question persists: was this registration procedure initiated to prevent protesters from getting paid more than once per day?

The red shirts were no doubt infiltrated by Thai military Special Forces, and the military continuously took camera shots by day and through night vision cameras of hundreds of protesters. It is believed these photos will enable Thai authorities to identify those who committed felonies, including arson.

But three very important questions remain: who’s got that database, for what purpose was it established, and who took on the responsibility for paying for the hardware, software, infrastructure, and, as has been suggested, disbursal of daily funds to protesters?