In this Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 photo, a ThaiFight app is displayed on a smartphone and ready to be played, in Bangkok, Thailand. For years, protesters in the country have used social media to organize rallies. Now they're taking smartphones to a new level. Apps have been created that allow phones to help protesters perform the high-pitched, raucous noisemaking that is a staple of Thai demonstrations. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
December 12, 2013 - 9:21 PM
BANGKOK - For years, protesters in Thailand have used social media to organize rallies. Now they're taking smartphones to a new level.
Apps have been created that allow phones to help protesters perform the high-pitched, raucous noisemaking that is a staple of Thai demonstrations.
More than 70,000 people have downloaded one application that mimics the shrieking sound of a whistle — the symbol of the "whistle-blowing campaign" against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The new app is called "Nok Weed," Thai for whistle, and it lets users choose the colour of their whistle, adjust the volume and then tap the screen to sound it.
It claimed the top spot on Google Play Store's trending list last month within days of its Nov. 4 debut. Most of the downloads were in Thailand.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013