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[Music] [Music] [Music] Hello, all viewers. We are back again today. As mentioned, a delegation of Thai academics and many expert professors are here in Iran. Because on the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, there is a funeral ceremony for Ayatollah Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of Iran. Today, we will invite Professor Anucha Kiattirama to analyze and discuss with us live from there. Professor, live, Professor, Professor. >> Yes, hello. >> Hello, Professor. Let's start with this question. Since arriving, let's talk about the overall picture and security first. How do you assess the security for this event? >> Yes, up to now, security has been quite good. There haven't been any incidents at all. No serious incidents, no bombings. >> Hmm. Professor, initially, the assessment was that it would be during a ceasefire, right? But I believe the Thai delegation, and even foreign delegations, must have discussed security quite a bit, right? Discussed this quite a bit, right? >> Correct. >> Now, uh, Professor, the main team, from what I've seen, the main team, I've observed leaders from Pakistan, Qatar, and many others who have come. Professor, the main team, from what you've seen, their arrangement is not to be too luxurious, but to be peaceful and simple. Is the atmosphere like this, Professor? Can you tell us a little bit? Professor? >> Yes, it's been peaceful and simple. The ceremony in Iran is divided into two parts. The first part is for diplomats or high-ranking officials from various countries. >> Right. And today, yesterday and today, it focuses on the general public, the Iranian people, coming to pay respects. And they are gradually passing through. Which is okay. Last night, we went. Everyone went together. We observed >> deep sorrow and grief of the Iranian people. Many people cried as if they had lost a family member, lost a child, lost their own parents. They cried bitterly. This is what we observed. >> Professor, after these two days are finished, I understand that there will be, what do they call it, a procession, perhaps? Professor? Is that correct, Professor? >> What else will happen, Professor? Please tell us a little bit. >> Ah, as has happened before, the paying of respects, the images have been broadcast worldwide. Uh, there was a bit of drama. Uh, the case where there was news that Trump saw it and seemed to say something like he didn't believe the Iranian people loved their leader that much. >> Uh. >> Yes. And he said something like he believed those tears were fake tears. >> Which, actually, if anyone saw the images, it would be hard to fake. Faking for millions of people. >> Ah, tomorrow, you will see even more grandeur. Because there will be a procession of the body along the streets throughout Tehran. And it is estimated that more than 20 million people will participate. And there are preparations made by the Iranian authorities. They have built >> a city to accommodate people from other provinces. And >> Oh, really? To allow them to travel by public transport, whether it's the subway or buses. They are trying to prevent private cars from entering Tehran. >> So. >> Yes, I have to wait and see tomorrow how grand it will be. >> Professor, regarding the procession, the funeral procession, I understand that part of it, towards the end, will go to Iraq, right, Professor? Is that correct, Professor? >> Correct. >> Professor, please explain. I believe many people might still want to know why it has to move to Iraq. Can you explain, Professor? >> It is said that the Iraqi people have been calling for participation. You have to understand that in international politics, especially at the grassroots level, the Iraqi people feel very indebted to Iran. This is because >> Uh, during the time when ISIS invaded Iraq, Iran was the only country that provided support in terms of weaponry and training. While the United States said they would help, they helped in some aspects that couldn't be distributed to volunteer units. Iran trained Iraqi volunteer units to fight ISIS, millions of them. >> Uh, so they feel a connection with the late Supreme Leader because he was the one who provided support, whether it was military training, budgets, and weaponry. >> It is said that before, when people asked the United States when ISIS would be defeated, when this problem could be solved, the United States said that ISIS would probably remain for about 30 years. >> Oh my. >> But when Iran intervened and dealt with it, everything was finished within less than 4 or 5 years. The time was greatly shortened, very fast. Therefore, a significant number of Iraqis feel indebted and have a connection with the Iranian leader. This is why they want to participate. >> It is difficult for millions of people to travel to Iran. They express their condolences. And Iran is ready to facilitate the arrangements. >> And especially since the body will be taken to important Shia religious sites. This is also something that adds to its sacredness. And after that, the body will be moved to be buried in his hometown, which is the city of Mashhad. >> Uh-huh. Uh, the final point is the movement of the body to be buried in his hometown, his birthplace, right? >> Professor, something interesting. >> Uh, it is analyzed that, Professor, do we have a chance to see Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, appear this time, or is it due to security reasons? How do you assess it, Professor? >> This morning, at the funeral prayer ceremony, the official religious ceremony, >> Uh, he did not appear. Uh, his brothers, who are sons of the former Supreme Leader, were all present. Only the current leader did not come. Which might be risky, not risky. >> It's all about them. But it would be risky for the millions of people attending. >> Yes. >> Hmm. This is mainly for security reasons, as reported by the media, right, Professor? >> Professor, let me ask you something. During the event, the images that appeared, this is something I really want to discuss with you. I understand from an analytical perspective that Trump is trying to say this because he is thinking back to the beginning of the year or the end of 2025 when there were many protests against him. But why has the image reversed now, Professor? Can you explain this phenomenon? Please, Professor. >> Yes, it's also a media war. >> Uh, last time, there were riots in Iran. There were protesters. Okay, there was suppression, and so on. And of course, if the Iranian media presented that police officers also died, then it's both sides. Because the protesters also had weapons. Ah, okay. >> Right. At that time, Western media tried to blow it up, saying, "Oh, Iran, the Supreme Leader killed about 70-80,000 people." The protesters themselves were not even 70,000 people, but it was claimed that 6-7,000 people died. >> Ah, but okay, as time has passed, today we see that the Iranian people are likely to participate, likely around 20 million, more or less, it probably won't be much more, but it could be up to 30 million or not. We'll have to see tomorrow. Uh, which, this has become >> news, which makes the world have to adjust its perspective. >> Right. About Iran. Before, they thought >> the Iranian people hated the Supreme Leader. But today, why do people >> Correct. Why do the people who >> the Iranian people hate, why are 20 million people attending the ceremony? It's impossible that they hate him. >> Ah, it's a media war, a news war. Currently, there is news in Thailand that about 10-20 Iranians protested in front of the Iranian embassy. >> Ah, wanting to pressure the United States to cancel negotiations with Iran. >> But if you compare, about 15-20 people, but they occupy media space in Thailand, while on this side, 20 million people, it's close. This is >> something to think about, to analyze. >> That, uh, there is >> a predetermined agenda or not. >> Why is there equal importance given? This is something to analyze. >> Professor, let me go back a bit. Tell me about this morning when you went to pray. What was the overall atmosphere? Please tell us, Professor. The place was so crowded that it was impossible to walk further. It took about 10 meters, about 20 minutes. >> Hmm. >> That crowded? Because in Iran, the sun rises around 4:50 AM. >> Very early morning. >> I left around 4:00 AM. But the prayer didn't start until around 8:00 AM. So I had to wait. And walk. They closed the roads around the venue quite far. So walking would be about 4-5 kilometers. >> It was quite tiring. And it was very crowded. And everyone came with their hearts. And there were stalls offering drinks, tea, and food all along the way. It shows the spirit of deep sorrow and grief. And there are pictures to show, which I took this morning. There will be a clip later. Did you have a chance to talk to the people who came out, Professor? How was it? >> Yes, I didn't have much opportunity to talk. Because, okay, regarding security, they probably have to be careful. >> Uh, with foreigners too, who are talking. >> Oh, yes, yes. >> Uh, during the time of prayer, or even walking in the procession, Professor, you weren't separated, right? Foreigners who went were in the same procession, in the same procession, right? There was no separation, right, Professor? >> Yes, there was no separation. And I wanted to experience how the Iranian people struggled to participate in the ceremony. And how brave they were. I wanted to see it with my own eyes. And okay, I really saw it and felt it. It was very tiring. Because walking was at least 4-5 kilometers. And, uh, it was hungry. In the morning, I hadn't eaten anything. But I had to eat along the way. It felt like walking with the Iranian people, holding their children, some carrying their babies, stuck in the procession because there were so many people. Stuck in the procession for quite a long time. And I felt sorry for the mothers carrying their babies, but they were very brave. And they didn't show any signs of boredom or annoyance. Now, during the remaining time, where will your delegation follow? During the period of the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, where will you go next, Professor? >> Yes, I understand we will participate in the funeral procession, which is likely to be the biggest ceremony in terms of participants. We will observe. The team from Thailand will then move to the city of Qom, a religious city in southern Iran. Then back to the city of Iran. We probably won't participate in the rest, because the peak is tomorrow. We'll see if it's 20 million people tomorrow. We have the opportunity. So the important point is the point of proof that you are focusing on, which is the number of people who come out, right? Which will be presented through the media. >> The keyword here, with the grand, simple yet grand event, and millions of people coming out, Professor, let me ask you a final question. What is the significant implication for the next negotiation, Professor? Please. >> It's the clearest. Because >> Hmm. >> This time, the Iranian government has invested a huge amount of money and budget. Because, okay, their economy is not very good, but they are willing to spend a huge budget to invite the media to observe. Because if they let the Western media present without influencers from around the world seeing it themselves, sometimes they might reduce it. Uh, let's say 20 million came, they might say 20,000 or something like that. It has always been like this. But this time, they invited us to observe. We don't have to praise them. We just speak the truth. How many million came, we'll say. >> Ah, it affects >> Absolutely. In the negotiations between the United States and Iran. Because if you observe carefully, in this funeral ceremony, most of the people chanted slogans like "We must take revenge," "We must retaliate." So it sends a signal to, ah, it definitely sends a signal to Trump that if they are stubborn with Iran, maybe in the future, there might be someone or an Iranian expatriate who might do what Trump has experienced before. This is also a signal. And it signals to Trump that you shouldn't be too tough with Iran. Because at this time, government officials, whether it's the president or the speaker of parliament, who are negotiators, are being pressured by the Iranian people themselves. And at this time, some of them view negotiations with the United States as a betrayal of the Iranian people. Uh, what we experienced, the team, Mr. Thani, Mr. Chai, went and experienced it. There were really chants like this: "Death to America, death to Israel, and death to those who are two-faced." So there is this feeling. This feeling will pressure the Iranian negotiation team to not back down. >> Right. And it might pressure them not to pressure Iran too much. Because they might break out of the nest and lose control of the situation. Professor, Professor, something interesting. They used the method of inviting media, of course, but also influencers. Professor, did the Iranian authorities invite, what do you call it, cover both the West and the East? >> Yes. The reason for inviting influencers is that, okay, nowadays, they have more influence on viewers than before. >> And sometimes, being a journalist, the equipment is a lot. And >> troublesome. >> And they often don't have as much freedom to present news as they should. Because reporters already have affiliations, and their affiliations usually have their own agenda. But influencers, they will >> Yes, correct. But influencers will want to find the truth. Where is it said that the Iranian people hate the Supreme Leader? Let's go and see if 20 million people came or not. They will come and see for themselves. >> Oh, okay. >> In simple terms, one indicator, the number, you will definitely see it. The number, you will definitely see it clearly. The number of people who come out. Okay, Professor, please give a final message to the Thai people who are following the situation in Iran. Please, Professor. >> Yes, the situation in Iran is quite calm now, after the negotiations. And >> And you can visit and travel to Iran now. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. >> Yes. And Iran probably has considerable bargaining power now. Because Iran is still strong in controlling the Strait of Hormuz, which is Iran's bargaining power, to prevent the United States and Israel, especially Israel, from attacking. Because recently, before the funeral ceremony, before the funeral, Israel's Defense Minister threatened that the current Supreme Leader, Ebrahim Raisi, might be the next target. >> Ah. And Iran sent strong signals back, saying that if anything happens, meaning if an attack occurs during the ceremony, Iran will >> will retaliate, will attack heavily without any hesitation. >> It's a signal to prevent Israel from doing anything rash. Most recently, the United States itself sent a signal warning Iran that Israel might do this, do that. The United States itself informed us. Professor, and we will continue to follow the delegation. Professor, a brief interruption. Professor, thank you very much, Professor. Thank you. >> Yes. >> Oh, hello. Hello, P'Art. I'll talk to you today. P'Art, let me ask you something. What has the overall atmosphere been like since the first day you arrived? Since we arrived in Tehran, Iran. We have seen the immense love of the people for their Supreme Leader. As a Thai person who traveled here, we can see that, in reality, Thai people also have loyalty to their country's leader, to the highest institution of the country. But when we look at Iran, people, because of their large population and big city, we see an overwhelming number of people. And it's an expression of the utmost love for their leader that I have never seen before. Along both sides of the route from various places in Tehran heading to Grand Mosalla, or the central mosque of Tehran, which is where the body of the Supreme Leader is located, it is filled with tents lined up along the way. Those tents are for distributing food, water, and souvenirs. There are no tents selling fried eggs, no tents selling anything else, only free distribution. >> Uh. >> The streets throughout Tehran are quite closed to traffic, and the routes people choose to use are the metro or subway. In Tehran, I just found out that Tehran has a subway system that covers the entire city. It's very convenient to travel, and you can believe that the fare is only 1-2 baht, which is very cheap in Thai currency. And the trains are very good. The trains are really very good. And people use the subway to travel to the place of mourning when we arrive. I can't believe my eyes that, oh, this is the overflowing love of the people for their leader. As someone who works in politics, when we organize a rally, a speech, or any event, we need to manage the crowd to get a large number of people to gather here. >> We might organize people from this province and that province to come. But here, people come willingly. There is no bus arrangement, no van arrangement, no two-row vehicles, no anything. People travel from other cities, from other provinces, to express their condolences for the leader's ceremony. This is something that made me shiver. And there is no chaos at all. Great peace has occurred. Throughout the distance walked, people chanted slogans like "Death to what? Death to Israel, death to America," meaning "Death to Israel, death to America." People express their anger, their hatred towards the United States, their hatred towards Israel for killing their leader. The Iranian people love their leader very much. When we arrived at the Grand Mosalla mosque, we heard the crying of the people. We heard them praying to God to protect their leader. This is the image we see, that it is a genuine expression from the hearts of the Iranian people. And it's not just one or two people, but a huge number of people. How can I explain it if I don't see it with my own eyes? I wouldn't have >> Hmm. Hmm. >> I saw it with my own eyes today. And the Grand Mosalla is a very, very large mosque. >> Mr. Ekarat, imagine it's as big as Rajamangala Stadium. >> Oh my, it's very big, isn't it? >> It's very big. >> It's really very big. And the area inside is packed with people inside that mosque. >> Uh, it's a feeling that, as a Thai person, I went to express my condolences. And of course, seeing this immense love for the Supreme Leader makes me understand that 1. The Iranian people have great patriotism. 2. They have great love for their leader. And 3. They have great peace in their expression. Even though they have great anger, what they express is very peaceful. There is no flag burning, no violence, no vulgar insults. The image we see is people bringing their children, holding their children's hands to come here. And the children are the ones who lead the chant: "Death to Israel, death to America." The children. >> Oh. >> On the streets, children lead the chant "Death to Israel," and everyone on the street repeats it. If we compare it to events in Bangkok, whether it's political rallies or important events in Thailand, we see that in Bangkok, there might be checkpoints, bomb scanners, weapon scanners. The Iranian authorities, although security is strict, it is very systematic and orderly. Most importantly, the people are very orderly. The lanes on the street, this lane is for women, this lane is for men, this lane is for families, so they can walk conveniently. As for us, as foreigners, our faces are not Iranian. Our faces are not >> Uh. >> Our faces are not sharp like Iranians. They facilitate us as foreigners. We can have a special lane for passport checks, document checks, and enter the mosque conveniently. They are very happy and welcome us very well. We received gifts from the Iranian people. They saw us as foreigners and asked, "You are from Malaysia, right? You are from Indonesia?" Maybe because I wore a hat and dressed like an Indonesian. [Laughter] >> I said, "Thailand." >> Ah, when I said, "I'm from Thailand," they were really surprised. They were very surprised. "So are you Muslim?" "Are you Muslim?" They were surprised that there are Muslims in Thailand. And I said, "Yes, Muslims from Thailand." Which was very surprising for them. And they were very happy. And I told them that the Thai people express their concern and condolences to the Iranian people as a friendly country with a long relationship of 400 years. We are representatives of our Thai brothers and sisters, sending messages to the Iranian people that we are also sorry for your loss. Which made them >> Uh, made them cry with joy that people from all over the world are flocking here to mourn their leader. And I also told them that in reality, Ayatollah Khamenei is not just the leader of the Iranian people, but Ayatollah Khamenei is also a spiritual leader for people in many countries around the world who stand firm in fighting injustice or oppression. Because, of course, what happened to Iran this time is an invasion by a superpower. And it has resulted in schools, buildings, and places in Iran being damaged. When we came here, the Iranian authorities, the Governor of Tehran, organized an event, a seminar, and invited hundreds of media personnel from around the world. And they showed us pictures of the damage in Tehran, Iran. In the past, Iran never revealed these images. But today, they have an exhibition and show the damage to universities, schools, and ancient sites that are world heritage, which have been destroyed a lot. This is what makes the Iranian people feel sad, feel angry about what America and Israel have done to Iran. >> And we will follow up in this segment. Thank you very much, Mr. Ta. Thank you very much. >> Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to the DB Sawaothao channel to not miss interesting clips and watch new clips first. [Music]