‘CIA’ vendors first on scene to feed protesters

Fruitful: A man buying preserved fruit from a street food vendor during a rally in Bangkok. — AFP

WITH an intelligence network so good they have been compared to the CIA, Thai street vendors are often first on the scene at protests in Bangkok, where they hawk sour pork and fishballs to a democracy-hungry crowd.

After a government crackdown last week, protest groups have begun keeping the venues for their demonstrations demanding the resignation of Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha secret until the last minute, in a bid to outsmart authorities.