I found this gesture pretty lame, but a lot of Thais here think it is a nice idea. They're pretty attached to their King, culture, national identity, etc. They think that this kind of symbolic stuff can change things.
I was actually afraid people would fight over the birds, considering there were prizes involved. I absolutely despise the current regime in Thailand - Thaksin is a sort of Thai Bush, implementing a freedom-reducing 'family values' agenda. Bush and Taksin both kill a lot of Muslims, but this does not make up for their repressive social controls.
Considering that the kings of Thailand have for centuries managed to keep their nation free from colonialist mutants like China, France, the UK, Imperial Japan, and Marxist generals, this is a small gesture of appreciation from the Thai people.
And "repressive social controls" =" no 14 year old prostitutes plying their trade on every streetcorner" Good riddance!
I am not critical of Thai's respect for the King. Heck I respect him, though I do suspect the current one was re-installed by the CIA.
As for as the prostitutes - you're misrepresenting the industry. It has long been very well run, with the age limit of 18 strictly enforced. In fact the great majority of girls are well into their 20's or even thirties, and the most typical reason for entering the industry is having a child out of wedlock and the resultant financial demands. There are no 14 year olds on any streetcorner I've ever seen in Thailand, and I've traveled around the country for years.
What Taksin has been cracking down on is the 'entertainment' industry - bars and brothels - both of which do include prostitutes of course. By doing so, he has robbed sex workers of the safest venue for their business, driving many out on the street - a rarity before. Making the sale of sex illegal mainly makes it more difficult and dangerous for the girls involved.
