I wrote this on May 17th. I did not post it at the time because I felt it was too negative given all the bad press coming out of Thailand. What I didn't know was that things were going to get much worse in the next two days. Even two weeks later, I am still trying to find the right words to explain the things that happened on May 19th and the events in Thailand since then. I promise I'll post something soon, but I still need to reflect a little bit more on the situation.
As I sit in my comfortable, air-conditioned apartment, watching TV, reading, catching up on long-overdue emails, it is hard to imagine that just down the road, over 30 people have died in the past five days. There has been sustained violence and unrest, centered around the protests areas, but spreading out from the protest hubs in a seemingly random, unpredictable way.
(graphic from Bangkok Post)
The recent round of violence began on Thursday - the government, whose proposed Roadmap to Reconciliation (above) was rejected by UDD leaders (their proposed plan below), decided to end the protests by cutting off electricity and supplies to the red shirt camp and surrounding the protest area, which is spread over several main roads (Thank you, Richard Barrow, for your excellent map and informative Tweets). My office closed early on Thursday and even earlier on Friday, as increasingly worrisome reports came in about the military's operation. On Thursday night, Seh Daeng, the controversial Thai general who supported the Red Shirts and ran security operations for their camp, was shot by a sniper while talking to a foreign journalist. (Please note that there is a pretty graphic picture at the top of the NY Times article in the above link.) He died four days later.
(graphic by Bangkok Post)
Street battles ensued on Saturday and Sunday, primarily around the Lumpini Park camp. On Saturday night, the US Embassy authorized voluntary departures for eligible family members. Throughout the weekend, I could see smoke rising from the Silom area, as protesters lit tires on fire to create a smoke screen.
Today dawned pretty quietly - work is still closed, the Skytrain and subway are closed, but most of the businesses near where I live are open. I have not ventured farther than about 20 walking minutes from my apartment and always check with my apartment guard before going out. Then, we got a text message saying that security operations were expected to begin at 3pm and we were directed to remain home or in a safe place. So, I went out quickly to get some food, then hurried back to celebrate my birthday obsessively watching Al Jezira, BBC, and Channel News Asia, while constantly refreshing my Twitter page. I plan to have my birthday next week, hopefully.
Some pictures from the past few days:
End of March, about 3 weeks into the protests: Red Shirt parade through Asoke area
The red shirt camp in Lumphini Park, just north of Silom Road (near the financial district); end of April
Police guards outside McDonalds - Silom, end of April
Tire smoke rising from Rama IV area, view from my balcony, May 16th
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