‘CIA’-like street-food vendors first on rally scene

With an intelligence network so good they have been compared to the CIA, street vendors are often first on the scene at “guerilla” democracy 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 Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha secret until the last minute, in a bid to outsmart authorities.

But protesters have quickly noticed that they are often second on the scene, behind food vendors setting up their carts and readying themselves for a busy night…