Thailand still the Land of Smiles By Marc Lim
The Straits Times
Publication Date: 06-02-2007
FOR a few days last week, it looked like Bangkok was the last
place to be seen if you were Singaporean.
An ongoing diplomatic row appeared to be on the verge of
worsening after Singapore beat Thailand in the first leg of the
Asean Football Championship final.
At the National Stadium last Wednesday, a controversial call by
Malaysian referee C. Ravichandran handed Singapore a penalty in
the last eight minutes of the match.
Singapore went on to win 2-1, but not before the Thais staged a
15-minute walkout.
If Thai media reports were anything to go by in the days that
followed, that was one angry nation. They accused Singapore of
cheating and robbing Thailand of victory.
It all pointed to potential trouble in Bangkok for the second leg of
the final on Sunday night.
Some Singapore fans dropped plans to go and support the home
team. I too was spooked by thoughts of what if.
We need not have worried.
The first sign was at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday,
soon after the Lions landed. The Thai porter handling their luggage
broke the ice with the perfect welcome, drawing laughter all
round.
'You Singapore, no worry,' he said. 'We Thailand, friend-friend. No
problem.'
Still, security was heightened. The Lions had a police escort at all
times, and were advised by officials against leaving their hotel. At
Supachalasai Stadium on Sunday night, there were over 1,500
policemen present during the match.
But aside from the motorist who drew alongside the Lions' coach
and made some not-too-friendly gestures, there was no
unfriendliness to report.
Those of us who went were treated to glorious, incident-free
football. There was no hostility, no tension.
Yes, there were boos for the Lions during the match.
But when the Lions came on the field and applauded the fans, the
Thai spectators returned the applause.
And when Majulah Singapura rang around the stadium, in the
heart of Bangkok's shopping district, the sea of yellow-clad Thai
fans stood up in respect.
Singapore defender Daniel Bennett said afterwards: 'Maybe we
were a bit overcautious. If you look at the three days we spent in
Bangkok, there was not one unpleasant incident.
'When some players went out for a while after the game, the Thai
people we met were happy for us.
'In the end, I think people realised that we were here to play a
match, nothing else. And I think people respected that.'
Skipper Aide Iskandar, a regular in the national team since 1994,
said this trip was no different from the many others he had made
to Bangkok for football.
'There was some verbal abuse during the match, but you expect
that anywhere when you're an away team,' he said.
'But generally, the Thais were as friendly as everyone knows them
to be. From hotel staff to fans we met, everyone had a smile to
offer.'
In the group of about 100 never-say-die Singapore fans who
showed up at Supachalasai Stadium was Madam Rosminah Ahmad,
53, an administrative assistant.
Despite being outnumbered by the Thai fans all around them, the
Singaporeans sang and cheered with gusto, dressed in Singapore
red.
It helped that there were more than 20 policemen around them,
but there were no unpleasant encounters with the Thais.
'Some of us went shopping before the game with our red tops and
Singapore flag and we still did not face any problems,' said Madam
Rosminah.
'In fact, it acted as an ice-breaker, with shopkeepers talking to us
about the game and telling us not to worry. 'Politics never mind,
football for fun', they said.'
That was the mood when I interviewed Thai fans before the match
too.
They knew I was Singaporean, but not one reacted in a negative
manner. All were more eager to talk football, predicting that
Thailand would win.
So you bet the Thais were disappointed when the night belonged
to the Lions in the end - Singapore drew 1-1 to win 3-2 on
aggregate.
The spectators cleared out of the stadium quickly, and when Aide
lifted the trophy, a light chorus of boos was the worst it got.
For the average Thai, it seemed, Sunday's game was not so much
about getting back at Singapore.
As Thai fan Eddy Pleusamorn, 29, an office worker, said
afterwards: 'To us, the match was important because we wanted
to show that as a nation, we were one.
'Because of the events before the match, this game became more
than just a football match. It was more of a unifying thing, with all
of us dressed in yellow, the King's colours.
'I don't usually follow Thai football but, today, it was important
that I was here, to support my country.'
Back in Singapore, I can almost taste Sunday night's tom yam
supper at Sukkumvit, where I engaged a few Thais in a friendly
post-mortem of the match.
They, like everyone else in the Thai capital, showed amply that, on
the ground, their country was still the Land of Smiles.
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