“Ignorant” is such a harsh word, but I cannot deny that there is some truth in that. Most Thais know nothing of the world beyond their country’s borders, not even about immediate neighbors like Cambodia or Burma. To most Thais, people in those countries are not Thai and thus not worth caring about. The poor education system here is partly to blame. It is unusual for even educated Thais ever to read a book after their school days, even once in their life, and for school they’ll generally skim enough to get along. That’s one reason books are so expensive here, they’re a luxury item that only “those rich foreigners” are interested in. Yes, it is sad.
But back to the rioting. The red shirts, while still numbering in the thousands, are quite fewer in number so far than the yellow shirts. It’s thought that Thaksin may not be able to afford to pay for protesters like he used to. He has a couple of billion US dollars frozen by the courts in bank accounts here that he cannot get at. The UK may or may not have frozen another $4 billion; rumors abound, and the British government has refused to confirm or deny. One local newspaper headline over the weekend facetiously speculated that Thaksin may be down to his last $500 million. But he is feeling a financial strain at this point, and I’m sure it’s true he cannot pay protesters what he once could. If he gets a reputation as a tightwad, then his supporters will start abandoning him in droves.
I received this message from the US Embassy:
“American citizens traveling to or residing in Thailand during this holiday season are reminded that bombings have occurred in the country, including Bangkok specifically, during the New Year’s celebratory events in past years. Given Thailand’s experience with violence during this time of year and the currently dynamic political environment, Americans should remain vigilant of their surroundings at all times and exercise caution in areas of large public gatherings. American citizens are encouraged to avoid large public crowds whenever possible.”
By violence at this time “in past years,” they really mean only New Year’s Eve 2006, two years ago. They make it sound like this is common for the New Year’s period, but it was only that one that had bombs go off. Several people killed. Honestly, I expect something this year, but the wife and I shall be safely ensconced by a friend’s pond out by his house up in the Northeast.
BBC just carried a live report from Bangkok. Seems the prime minister will try to read the policy statement today (Tuesday) from the Foreign Minisry instead of parliament. That’s apparently legal, but unfortunately the Foreign Ministry is not far from parliament, and the protesters plan just to shift over there. I don’t understand why the PM can’t just broadcast it from his home if need be, but that’s the law. And we all know how much Thailand respects the law. :rolleyes:
Oh, and this article about how the protests have reversed is interesting. I especially like this part:
“A source said they thought the number of protesters would shrink amid hot temperature and sunlight. Moreover, with the New Year coming protesters may prefer to go home and celebrate their holidays so the protest could end soon.”