The Journey(s) of Ian

This is to be a new and very short blog. It's existence wholly due to my desire to test my new iPhone blog app-Blogpress. I was hoping to be able to post pics, but it looks like no. Now on a slow, local bus to Pattaya. Why, you ask a local and slow bus? My mistake. Got on at the Ekami station in Bangkok in a hurry. Leran from one's mistakes. eol - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone. Is that cool or what? Location: Sukhumvit,Nong Mai Daeng,Thailand

Here we are now, back in Bangkok. I spent the day walking the streets of the city of Bangkok, in the 'better' areas of the town (Sukhumvit), and around the Parliament House. What I saw was an immense number of Red Shirts in cars, in trucks, on motor bikes, and walking along the street. All with the aim of protesting what they see as the inadequate and unrepresentative current Thai government. I did speak to one Thai man, who spoke good English, who explained to me what he saw the problem to be. The current government, the "Yellow Shirts", represent the Thai elites, based in the city of Bangkok, and ignore the wishes and needs or the poorer folk who do the work in Thailand. He also spoke of the history of the long struggle Thailand had to attain democracy, something he still does not feel that Thailand enjoys. He wants to see Thailand governed by a democratic and representative government. Noble aims. And what seems surprising, is that thing...

It is only slightly less than one week since the Red Shirt protests began in Bangkok. The Red Shirts—shall we say the 'working class', those who get their hands dirty in Thailand—are opposed to what they perceive to be the Bangkok based elite. After the struggles of the last few days, just what do they have to show for their efforts? The answer is, in the short term at least, not much. The RSs avowed aim is to compel the Thai government to dissolve parliament and hold new elections. This did not happen. While the Prime Minister Mr Abhisit did everything short of requesting foreign assistance to restrain his opponents (he declared a state of emergency, lots of cops and troops on the street, hid himself out at an army barracks), he did not panic and give in. On the other side of the equation the Red Shirts seem to be suffering. Their three leaders seem to have split, there now seems to be a more radical wing of their movement calling for 'communist' ideas, and many of ...

This is the first main day of the full Red Shirts presence in Bangkok—there avowed aim, to bring down the incumbent Thai Government, led by their political opponents (the Yellow Shirts). I attended the RS rally point at the Democracy Monument this morning, and walked along with them for part of their march through Bkk. All in all, a non-threatening experience. The RSs were smiles and niceness—not the sought of attitude likely to send a shiver of fear through the Prime Minister Mr Abhisit. I even purchased a few Red Shirt souvenirs. There is a definite class/regional orientation to this rally. The folk come from the provincial areas of Thailand, principally, as far as I could detect, from the north east province of Esarn. These are the dark skinned people who work the fields and clean the hotels of the Thai tourism business. Many protestors proudly identified their home town to me. There beliefs were emblazoned for all to read, even in English. They want 'justice', ...

The 'Big Mango', as Bangkok is sometimes affectionally known, has today braced itself for the long expected, and long dreaded (in some circles), 'Red Shirt' rally and protest. The goal of the RSs has not always been clearly enunciated. At first the rally was merely to be a protest, a protest based on long simmering resentment of the dismissal of two RS governments, but sparked by the asset seizure of part of the wealth of the RS movement leader and former Prime Minister, Mr Thaksin. However, it is now clear that the RSs demand a change of government. Saturday the 13th marked the first full day of RS activity in Bangkok. The main streets were filled with RS members in cars and pickup trucks. RS marshals were situated at major intersections. However, the numbers did not look anywhere near the quoted 'million man march'. The mood of the RSs was festive, there was much cheering and smiling at the onlookers, and many of the onlookers cheered back. There was no s...