NAKED DJ EXPOSES TRUTH ABOUT CLASH
Written by Writer on Sunday, October 26th, 2008
NAKED DJ EXPOSES TRUTH ABOUT CLASH
In the wake of the Oct 7 tragedy, post-traumatic stress disorder gripped one PAD supporter who stripped and wandered the streets
Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit
On Oct 18, a naked man wandered the streets in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province. His name is Montri Jitwimolprasert, a community radio host and a country music singer. His friends chased after him, trying to cover him with a blanket. Too late - the media had already taken notice. Pictures of him naked were splashed across newspapers around the country.
He’s a staunch supporter of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - or at least he used to be.
“I’m very embarrassed about what happened,” said Mr Montri, at his home in Sattahip. “Somebody said it was a stunt, that I was trying to promote my album, but that wasn’t it. I wouldn’t risk my reputation like that.”
The 40-year-old DJ lives with his parents. He holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Ramkhamhaeng University and a master’s degree in the same subject from Bangkok University. He has a job, a good life and no history of mental illness. So what happened?
There are soldiers who suffer shell-shock after experiencing the horrors of war. Civilians are no different, and Mr Montri’s internal war reached its climax on Oct 7, when the clash between PAD protesters and riot police left a trail of blood, bodies, recriminations and accusations.
THE SHOW’S OVER: Mr Montri’s friends prepare to cover up the now-docile DJ after his infamous run on the streets of Bangkok.
“I have disliked injustice ever since I was young,” said Mr Montri, which was why he was on the streets during the bloody May 1992 incident, and why he rallied with the PAD.
Mr Montri and 300 others travelled from Sattahip to Bangkok to join the protest earlier this month. When the conflict escalated on Oct 7, Mr Montri found himself just six metres away from a car that exploded.
“There was chaos and confusion everywhere,” he said.
Mr Montri said he saw a politician from the anti-government camp standing not far from the car.
“I felt very confused,” Mr Montri confessed. “What was he [the politician] doing at the protest? Was I being manipulated? Was I just a pawn?
“I looked around me and saw people getting hurt and dying. I started to think, how many innocent people have to be sacrificed?” Mr Montri attempted to rationalise the different thoughts that ran through his head.
He was not injured during the protests, and headed home at around midnight on Oct 7.
Following the events of that night, Mr Montri began to obsessively question his part in the PAD agenda. He was fixated by the thought that he was being used as a pawn. He began to challenge other PAD members and supporters, bombarding them with questions and conspiracy theories.
He even went as far as wearing a red T-shirt, the symbol of the pro-government United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD).
“When he came home, all he could talk about was bloodshed and bombing,” said Suraswadi Prasarnnil, the owner of the radio station, and Mr Montri’s boss.
“He was very confused and very upset with what he saw,” she observed. “He wasn’t the same person I knew. He was very quiet and he cried a lot.”
Finally, Mr Montri reached breaking point.
In the middle of the day on Oct 18, he stripped and walked out of his home. He wandered naked around the streets, at one point even lying down on a traffic island.
After his friends managed to grab him, Mr Montri was sent to Kor Mor 10 Hospital. A few days later he was discharged, with a bag full of stress-relief pills.
“The doctor told me what I did. Specifically the part when I begin to talk to myself. It’s a sign of going nuts,” said Mr Montri.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly develops after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurs or is threatened. The first recorded incidence of PTSD occurred during the horrors of trench warfare in World War One, and was termed “shell-shock”. Common symptoms include nightmares, withdrawal and insomnia.
“It’s very possible that the ongoing political unrest causes stress in people,” said Taweesilp Visanuyothin, director of the Social Mental Health Bureau. “Especially those who are directly exposed to danger.”
Today, Mr Montri is back at work. He’s able to function properly, but still insists he and the PAD members are being used as a pawns.
“They convinced us that they are fighting with man [evil], that we are tep [angels],” he said. “But I don’t believe that now.”
Mr Montri said he will not be attending any more PAD rallies.
Bangkok Post
Sunday October 26, 2008
