There has been lots of grumbling over the fact that Aung San Suu Kyi was not able to meet all the migrant workers in the central Thai port town of Samut Sokhon on Thursday.
She realized as much, telling migrant activist Andy Hall in a brief conversation while departing under heavy rains that she was sorry she couldn’t talk to everyone.
Ko Ye Min, from the Aid Alliance Committee for Myanmar workers, told 7Day that “Mother Suu would love to meet [them]. Thai Authorities blocked us a lot for security reasons. Workers who are in trouble didn’t have chance to meet [with her].”
The lack of access and the restrictions on media led AFP to describe her trip as getting off to “a rocky start.”
But this drone footage apparently shot by Thai PBS gives an idea of how nearly impossible (and maybe even dangerous) it would have been for her to meet with everyone present as crowds surged towards the barricades leaving police incapable of maintaining a semblance of order and issuing frantic hand gestures to GET BACK.
Some 100,000 Myanmar migrant workers live in the area (out of upwards of 3 million in all of Thailand) and they naturally all wanted to see Suu Kyi, who visited the area several years ago after being released from house arrest in 2010.
But logistically, as this footage shows, that may have been impossible under the circumstances.
Suu Kyi continues her trip today by meeting with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who took power in a coup in 2014.
They won’t be taking questions from the media.
