Sunday, April 1, 2012

Planking

Tak Bai happened on Oct 25, 2004. Six locals were initially arrested. A demonstration to call for their release  were later tear-gassed by military reinforcements. Hundreds arrested, bound, shirtless, stacked into trucks to be transported. On arrival 3 hrs later 85 were found dead (7 of gunshot wounds and 78 of apparent suffocation) None in government were ever held accountable nor prosecuted ( more at Wiki)

Image:1 Planking Tak Bai style prior to being stacked into military trucks 6 deep for the 3 hr journey 

 Image:2 The propensity for Planking seemed popular with the military

 Image:3 Planking on another occasion on the hard and hot tarmac

Image:4 Planking by the sea on the hot sand

Tak Bai 'massacre'
Planking imposed for numbers
Hands bound and shirtless

To be transported
Stacked high six deep into trucks
Nightmarish journey

Many  just succumbed
Of suffocation on route
None brought to justice

Planking as a fad was brought to another level in mid 2011. Planking was then a craze to be done at unusual places, accompanied with fun and laughter, a far cry from the sufferings at Tak Bai

 Image:5 Atop a tractor

 Image:6 Across 2 camels

Image:7 In the Today Studio?

(Picture Credit:  All from Google Images)

Submitted for d'Verse of Nightmare verse and Real Toads OpenLinkMonday

24 comments:

  1. But I'm doing planking now as part of my "exercise" to firm up and tone up :)

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  2. interesting beginnings for some crazy fun...ugh, stacked 5 deep and suffocating ont he way...how sad and just thinking of being on the bottom of that stack...ugh...

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  3. oceangirl,
    You'll be forever healthy and well, Ma'am!

    Brian,
    Stacking them was meant to hurt obviously

    Hank

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  4. I can't believe I,ve never heard of this before - absolutely atrocious - your short sharp poem bought the nightmare to life and slapped me round the face. Human beings are absolutely horrible to each other sometimes

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  5. A real nightmare, inhumane, and too often those in power don't admit culpability. Thank you for calling my attention to this atrocity turned cultural fad.

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  6. Never knew it started like that. I still think it is a crazy thing to do for fun, lying in the road of something, pfft right.

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  7. I heard about planking...it was a crazy initiation rite.

    And to think now it's all for fun.

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  8. This is a powerful poem and the images are truly horrifying. This was a way that I wanted to go in my poem too. Showing the "real" nightmare, reality and all the atrocities and terror that occur every day and thruout time.

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  9. That method of planking and stacking prisoners - I had never heard of this before, but what a barbaric practice.

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  10. The atrocities men (it's nearly always men) will commit in their lust for power are beyond nightmare. I hope your poem helps this atrocity to never be forgotten.

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  11. Freedom has always come at a heavy price. There is nothing free about freedom.
    We all take it so for granted in the west where we are 'comparatively free' to have a voice and our gripes heard without fear of prosecution. This just continues to show, we (as a species) are not civilized at all.

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  12. I do think it's funny how people plank now... have you ever heard of a flash mob (or something like that)?

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  13. A sobering topic, and thank you for spotlighting it. That truck load of suffering humanity is unconscionable - and no one held responsible. Sometimes it is a conscious choice to continue to love humanity, given our species is capable of such atrocities.

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  14. oh hank...what a nightmare indeed....can't even think about it without getting tears in my eyes..

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  15. this is just horrific. just goes to show how horrible human can be.

    semantic feeling

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  16. What an excellent way to shed light on social injustice via current affairs/interests. And what a great illustration of one word's vastly different meanings. Terrific read.

    http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2012/04/02/wild-white-rose/

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  17. I'm so bad about turning a blind eye to "news" and world events. But thank you for exposing me to these tragic events.

    I did agree with Brian about the camel play, though. And my husband is a youth minister, so I can see him using the activity for games.

    But as for punishment, especially unto death, that is horrifying.

    ~Shawna
    rosemarymint.wordpress.com

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  18. Crazy....its amazing what we can come up with as a race....lol.

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  19. It is, Pak Cik! THis can happen as they are not of their kind. They are far from the centre and seen as trouble seekers!

    Hank

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