Five days after having been occupied by thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters, the stately Government House compound has not only lost its dignity but is looking like a disorderly refugee camp.

The fleeing parties, however, were not the current occupants of Government House but the staff at the Prime Minister's Office.

Bangkok garbage collectors, who spend much of their work¬ing hours around foul odours, complain of the smell from the tonnes of rubbish they collect twice a day from the com¬pound.

The packed compound has not only generated foul smells and garbage, it has become a logistics and hygiene nightmare for protesters inside. Food shortage is not an issue, as generous donors make sure that these PAD troops do not march on empty stomachs.

Mounds of garbage are piling up, bras hang drying from bushes and toilets overflow. Some of the residents have to turn to garbage bags to relieve themselves.

But the protesters, with numbers reaching about 17,000, seem unper¬turbed by the mess around this grand Venetianstyle building. Morale is as high as ever in spite of the uncertain future.

Built in 1908 by Italian architects, the twostorey Gothic Thai Khufah resembles the Doge's Palace in Venice.

But the Venetian charm is gone. In its place is the noisy rally of angry PAD protesters who are as determined as ever to rid the country of the current administration.