Anyone that has been reading the news over the past couple weeks has probably realized that things in Thailand took a turn for the worst almost two weeks ago. I haven’t had a chance to write about it (back to back trips to the beaches and then to the mountains), but I figure it’s better late than never. The events of the night have been chronicled in news reports around the world, but the exact step-by-step of what happened is still largely unknown. The quick rundown is as follows:
1) On Wednesday, April 7, red shirt protesters stormed the parliament building hoping to force dissolution of the house. - http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/35746/protesters-storm-parliament
2) That same evening, in response, Prime Minister Abhisit declared a state of emergency.
3) On Friday, April 9, Abhisit issued arrest warrants for 17 of the red shirt leaders – the largest impact of the state of emergency so far. - http://www.mcot.net/cfcustom/cache_page/42827.cfm
4) On Saturday, April 10, the government enforced a solution to remove the red shirts from the area that they were staying.
It is after this that reports get unclear and hazy. The government suggests that red shirts initiated the violence, while the red shirts insist that the army forced the violence upon them. The red shirts say the army used live-rounds and guns, while the army says the red shirts had machine guns, and bombs. There have also been reports of rogue terrorists that were acting on their own behalf that contributed to much of the violence. Even two weeks later, it is hard to tell who is telling the truth and who isn’t. It is known that the government used rubber bullets and tear gas to clear out the crowds, while the red shirts were known to have used sticks and rocks. Whoever the initiator, the consequences of that event have been substantial - over 800 injured and 25 dead. And that doesn’t include the billions of baht lost in potential revenues. Or the billions of baht that it will cost to clean up the mess that was left behind.
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2787859
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8612783.stm
http://www.globalnational.com/world/Bangkok+worst+political+violence+years+leaves+dead+troops+protestors+clash/2787859/story.html
The week after, which many people thought would bring on more violence, was the week of Songkran – the Thai New Year. It’s a celebration that can only be described as a massive, country-wide water fight. There is no better way to put it. Literally everyone. From the rich to the poor. From the Northeast mountains to the Southern beaches. From the rural countryside to the heart of Bangkok. Water, water, and more water. It was a week where protests, rhetoric, and politics were put on hold. Red shirts, yellow shirts, no-shirts, and every other color in between put their differences aside and focused on their similarities – their Thai nationality. It was a beautiful (and ridiculously fun) event to be a part of.
Since then, though, things have again started to escalate. There is now a large group of protesters that are protesting against the protesters. The ruling yellow party is also protesting now that the government needs to take more control of the situation. The army is now in control of security, and they have been allowed the use of live ammunition. And the red shirts are more determined, more courageous, more persistent, but also more vigilant then ever before. Two weeks ago, they were a small force that government officials hoped could be eradicated over time. Now, it seems that everyone realizes that the red shirts aren’t going anywhere soon. After the events of April 10, the red shirts have only grown stronger, angrier, and more united. But then again, so has the government. At this point, another showdown is almost certain. The only question that remains is this: will the showdown take place on the streets, or in the back, negotiating room? I hope for the latter but I guess that it will be the former.
Either way, the area of town that I am in is safe. There have been no repercussions whatsoever, except that almost every conversation revolves somehow around the political situation. But, besides that, work is still busy, traffic is still abundant, and the weather is still hot, really, really hot.
I will continue to write more about the consequences of the situation, as well as keep this blog up to date as the situation unfolds over the next couple weeks.
