I can remember thinking, oh so long ago, that the red shirt protests were a bit like waiting for a hurricane. Usually, with hurricane forecasts, there might be news of a potential threat a week or so before the hurricane may or may not hit the coast. As the week progresses, news increases, until a few days before when the trajectory is more established. Then, the warnings come, telling people to hunker down or evacuate. The hurricane comes, and if we are lucky, passes with minimal damage, maybe a few downed trees and power cuts. So I thought I would hold off on writing a post about the Red Shirts until the protests were over, thinking that there would be a conclusion after a weekend of protesting. Boy, was I wrong!
In late January, the Supreme Court of Thailand announced that it would pass its verdict on the highly anticipated Thaksin trial. Thaksin Shinawatra, former (ousted) prime minister of Thailand, was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, and since then, his Thai funds were frozen (all 76 billion baht, more than 2 billion USD). There were stories in the news that Thaksin supporters would protest after the court's decision was released, on February 26.
February 26th came and went with little drama. There were a few explosive devices found in Bangkok, but no mass rallies. The Red Shirts (the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, or UDD) announced a protest date of March 12, more than two weeks after the announcement. (FYI, the courts decided to seize about half of Thaksin's Thai fortune, a decision seen by some as a cop-out and others as a good compromise. Nevertheless, they did decide that he acquired some of his wealth using illegal or immoral ways.)
Interestingly, the Red Shirts' reasons for protesting seemed to change after the verdict was released. Although they still supported Thaksin, their goal was to force the current government to step down and call a snap election. They believe that the current government is not legal (the current government gained control after the Yellow Shirt protests in 2008, when the courts said the current ruling party, supporters of Thaksin, could not hold office due to corruption).
As March 12 approached, people prepared for the protests - setting up phone trees, confirming numbers, and testing emergency SMS systems. The Embassy even closed early on March 12, because of fears that the Thai government might shut down the expressway or red shirts might begin protesting. But March 12 and 13th were very quiet. There were large protests on March 14th. I can remember thinking on March 12, when the news reported Red Shirt leaders saying there were enough funds for the protest to last 3-5 days, "really? five days? It can't go on that long!" Ha.
It's now April 20th, and the protests are still going on. Here are some of the highlights (or lowlights) of the protests, purely from my perspective.
For the most part, the Red Shirts rallied within their base, giving ample time and warning of when they would move. The first fews weeks were mainly quiet, although people still warned me to stay away from the Red Shirts, fearing the "Third Hand" (the almost mythical entity which apparently causes trouble during these types of protests) might instigate violence. But, for the most part, the protesters I saw were friendly, made up of many families. There was nothing sinister or violent about the protests. There were a few times when the protesters marched in front of the US Embassy. (In my opinion, to get more publicity from international sources - international news, save maybe BBC, has either not covered the protests or covered them so sporadically and sensationally that they provide a skewed and distorted picture of what's going on here.)
Nearly two weeks into the protests, the Red Shirts directly affected me. On March 23rd (day 12 of the protests), the prime minister decided to hold his weekly cabinet meeting at the Ministry of Public Health (his usual meeting place held seige by protesters). When I arrived to work the day before, I found several hundred soldiers camped out. As the day progressed, we learned more details - only the main gate would be open from 7-8am the following day and personnel were to remain inside their offices from 8am till noon. Usually, this would not be a problem - I take an Embassy van to get to work but only when there is room. On that Tuesday, there were too many authorized visitors taking the van, so I ended up taking a taxi, arriving at the wrong gate, begging my way across a small moat and through barbed wire, and finally getting to work. Later in the day (I was not in the office at the time), there were two grenades thrown into the complex. No one was hurt.
In the next week, there were several more motorcades. Nothing happened. The Red Shirts talked with the government, but nothing was settled. In the beginning of April, I headed to Hanoi, Vietnam, for a work trip. The same day, the Red Shirts moved into the Siam/Ratchaprasong commerical shopping area, closing the numerous malls and businesses in the area. They remained camped out there until the following Saturday (when I also returned from Vietnam). Things were quiet most of Saturday (April 10), but I got several messages saying I should not go near the Ploen Chit, Chit Lom, or Siam BTS Skytrain stations (about 10 minutes from where I live, and two stations down from me). That evening, the army and police tried to clear the Red Shirts out of the area and not only failed miserably, but their actions escalated the situation, leading to approximately 25 deaths and over 800 injuries.
The following week was Songkran, or Thai New Year, and although it was officially cancelled in Bangkok, celebrations still went on and the protesters were quiet.
Which brings us to this week - day 40(ish) of the protests. The Red Shirts remained camped out in the shopping/commerical area and have threatened to march into the business/banking area (Silom). Several hundred armed soldiers have secured the area and the Red Shirts seemed to have backed off of that idea. Several other groups, with various colored shirts, have held counter-protests, in support of the current government. The Red Shirt leaders have refused to continue negotiations with the government, despite (what I see) as the government's best attempt to compromise.
That, in not quite a nutshell, is what's been going on in Bangkok for the past month and a half. It's not particularly fun, but not particularly bad (for the most part). It's more of a daily annoyance, with the unknown ahead. I feel incredibly sad for those who died as well as those who are still protesting. They are risking their safety occassionally, but risking their livelihoods daily as they continue to protest. Many are farmers, who subsist on their daily wages. That being said, I also don't think holding a city seige is democratic. I'd like to end, though, by stating that I have never once felt unsafe in Bangkok. Thai people are remarkably friendly, kind and considerate, and many will go out of their way to assist you.
If you want to follow the Bangkok news in more detail, check out the Bangkok Post or The Nation. Both are slighly biased but will give you daily updates on the goings-on here. You can also search Twitter for #redmarch or #redshirt.
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