Bangkok: no carnival anymore as bombs wound protesters

20 Jan 2014  2036 | World Travel News

BANGKOK- Headlines of Thai and some foreign newspapers were almost jubilant a few days ago: “Bangkok Shutdown”, the big anti-government protest movement which is due to bring down the current administration of acting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had all of a “street carnival”. “Carnival atmosphere in downtown Bangkok” wrote last Tuesday the Singaporean Straits Times while the Bangkok Post run on the same day a story over the fun that tourists had by joining. In an article named “Tourists take part in peaceful protests”, the newspaper explained that tourists used words such as "good atmosphere, good-natured, festive, different and inconvenient" to describe the protest areas.

Unfortunately the tragedy was around the corner and highly predictable. On the first day, some 160,000 Thais demonstrated in the streets of Bangkok blocking major intersections to traffic. Numbers have since diminished but anger did not. Outside observers tend to forget that Thailand is a very unharmonious, extremely polarized society those days. Resentment between people has grown over the years between the Anti- and Pro- Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister ousted in a military coup in 2006 and who is living these days in Dubai. Political conflicts over the last five years –Bangkok airports’ seizure by the yellow shirts in 2008, the Red Shirts’ occupation of Bangkok Rachaprasong area in 2010 and the consequent killing of 90 people- tell a lot about the split within the society.

This deep division within Thai society revolves around many factors: it goes all about Bangkok against the upper country; about Bangkok Sino-Thai elite against Grassroots Thais from the North and Northeast; and generally about the Wealthy against the Poor. Much accumulated hatred and hidden rancor, which can easily seize the opportunity to express itself during a large movement such as the current protest.

This happened on Friday with a first bomb exploding in the city centre, wounding 36 people –one died in the hospital on Saturday-; then came on Sunday a second bomb, which this time claimed another 28 victims. Two smaller devices exploded in the house of opposition leader of the Democrat Party Abhisit Vejjajiva and Bangkok Governor, ML Sukhumband Paribatra.

The Bangkok Post newspaper reported that Dr Suphan Srithamma, director-general of the Health Depatment, and Dr Narong Apikulvanich, director of the centre for the prevention and mitigation of medical calamities in political rallies put the number of casualties to four killed people and 238 injured ones in political rallies from Dec 26 last year to Jan 18. However prior to it, they were already casualties. On November 30 at Ramkhamhaeng University, a student was killed while 21 others were shot. In total, over 250 people suffered already injuries in current political turmoil.

Although it is true that tourists have never been targeted by the ongoing political violences, they could be if looking at the demonstrations. Embassies have steeped up their warning. On Friday evening, the French Embassy for example strictly forbid its citizens to participate or go in the areas where protests take place. A list of the areas is available on the TAT website under http://www.tatnews.org/category/tat-releases/situation-update/ which provides the latest development in the situation. However, in the current situation, it is better for travellers to avoid coming to Bangkok until the situation stabilizes. But the rest of the Kingdom remains peaceful and ready to welcome visitors…

Sourced: TravelDailyNews

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