POLITICAL UNREST IN BANGKOKOVERVIEW

The political unrest in Bangkok showed its “tip of the iceberg” on May 12, 2010. It appeared to most people that the rally was of a harmless nature. The protesters we’re more fondly known as the Red Shirts and their reason for initiating the rally was based on the premise that the current government in power (Democrat Party) is corrupt and neglectful of the majority’s (rural poor) needs. When the Reds invaded the ASEAN SUMMIT in Pattaya, beside the Gulf of Thailand, they eventually withdrew, realizing that their protest was not producing the desired results. Of course, everyone thought that was the end. Nobody expected it to eventually spiral out of control and cause a significant amount of damage and casualties.

The failure only fueled the determination of the Red Shirts.

At once, their continued effort in instigating rallies continued. Crippling some parts of Central Bangkok and sending the government in a frantic endeavor to contain the uprising. Negotiations were set aside and the Reds realized that their civil disobedience has taken a huge blow to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. So huge as perceived by the Reds that it further increased their morale to go harder and deeper. On April 10, they managed to hold off an unsuccessful containment pursued by the military. The clash inflicted casualties and utter chaos on both sides. There were reports of unseen military snipers taking part in the onslaught and protesters destroying armored personnel carriers. The Red Shirt protesters strengthened their presence by taking camp around the Democracy Monument, in Central Bangkok.

Spring in Thailand was marked by violence and social unrest. It has definitely been a one-sided battle even though the side of the military has also incurred losses. Most of the casualties are from the protesters, innocent civilians, medics and journalists who were caught in the crossfire. Fast-forward to the present, one third of Thailand is still under emergency law in which the military has the authority to take charge of safety measures. Prime Minister Vejjajiva has already called for national reconciliation and expects an upward slope of negotiations. The turmoil has taken a toll on the country’s economy, most notably its tourism. Many tourists who have plans of spending vacation in Thailand have already cancelled hotel bookings, fearing repercussions from the on-going clashes between the Thai Military and Red Shirt Protesters. The situation as of the moment, is still not showing concrete signs of recuperation.

CAUSE OF CONFLICT

On September 19, 2006, the Royal Thai Army staged a coup d’etat in the effort of challenging Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It occurred before the repeat election scheduled to occur on late 2006. The cause for the coup was based on claims that the Thaksin’s administration is unknowingly characterized by demagogy, corruption, human rights offences and dictatorship despite his eye-catching policies that significantly affected the economy, education, social order, and most especially the reduction of rural poverty. After 15 months (December 2007), a

post-coup election was held, with the main contenders being Samak Sundaravej of the People Power Party and Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party. It is widely perceived that the PPP has the solid support of the majority rural citizens while the Democrat Party is favored more by Bangkok’s elite and middle class. Basically, the PPP had the majority of votes but supporters of the Democrat Party would not accept the result. Anti-Thaksin enthusiasts therefore resorted to revolt against the new government. The campaign was said to be instigated by Vejjajiva’s Democrats and their efforts bore fruit as the ruling party was abrogated by the Constitutional Court. All this twisting and turning of events is what had given Vejjajiva the opportunity to grab power.

With the arrival of the Red Shirts on the big picture aiming to overthrow the current government, the latter is speculating that the uprising may be a “Thaksin-endeavor” to reclaim power( also taking into account the fact that the Reds are still loyal to the ousted prime minister). Thaksin was found guilty in a Thai court of corruption and sentenced to two years of incarceration in 2008. He is still missing and has not yet served his sentence.

The Red Shirts do not see Vejjajiva as a person of authority because of his inability to win in a fair fight against Thaksin. They want him to be replaced by someone who puts the welfare of the rural public at top priority. His rule is seen as illegitimate, negligent to the poor (contrary to Thaksin’s reign), oppressive and biased [to the minority of the Bangkok elite]. The current prime minister is also accused of unlawful censorship and media manipulation. The incumbent’s efforts of discouraging and combating critical arguments regarding the role of Thai Monarchy in Politics has raised significant scrutiny and concern on the part of the citizens (especially Anti-Abhisit individuals). The Democrat Party states that such measures are only for the good of the monarchy and beneficial to national security.