Skip to main content

13th March—Red Shirt Rally Bangkok





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 sign of violence or provocation—however, this is only day 1.

Based as they are in the rural north east Esarn province of Thailand, the RS supporters need to spend a day in travel from their homes to reach Bangkok. Their cause—social justice, or at least what they believe to be a better and fairer deal for the poorer people of Thailand. A complex story and issue.

The Red Shirts must win to form a new government. The incumbent government must simply hang onto power to win. A new day awaits...
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pattani — the ‘deep’ south of Thailand

First, some advisories: A. ADVISORY: For the last few years and decades there has been an ongoing insurgency in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat (the 'deep south' of Thailand). An average of 600 people have been killed per year between 2004-9. The Australian government strongly urges its citizens not to visit these provinces: "do not travel". Having said this there is no blood on the streets, and life goes on normally for the vast majority of people. In comparison approximately 400 people die every year from traffic accidents in the same region. You have been advised. B. Getting there. There seems to be a scam carried out by the local tour operators to persuade travellers to take mini-buses on journeys between the towns in southern Thailand. These mini-buses cost several times as much as a normal bus. For example, I was quoted 1000 baht (~$35) between Trang and Pattani ~250kms, as compared to 200 baht for a VIP bus. A clear difference. Take the l...
24 comments
Read more

Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers—A Critical Critique

The late science fiction author Robert Heinlein was noted for many things, and one of these is controversy. During his life he never shied away from contentious issues, rather he seems to have actively sought them out, both on and off the page. His writing was always provocative, and the most provocative example of this was his 1959 novel "Starship Troopers". The novel was written in a few weeks, prompted by left-wing lobbying for a ban on USA nuclear weapon testing. Heinlein, a strident conservative, vehemently disagreed with this proposal. While the meaning and import of the novel has been debated (it won the 1960 Hugo and is still in print), the story conveys the author's conservative anguish on the perceived flaws of contemporary political and social life. The novel depicts and praises a future government with a sharply limited voting franchise, lauds an authoritarian military, and strongly criticises popular democracy. Essentially, the novel endorses conservative,...
1 comment
Read more

Harry Harrison—sorry to hear of your passing

Harry Harrison, an amusing name. I can remember the first time I saw the name on the shelves of my High School library, when I first came across the Deathworld series. This fascinating read began a long friendship, his books, my reading. I met Harrison when he came to Perth for a Swancon. An interesting and witty man, always ready with a story. Mr Harrison, you have left a long and lasting legacy, which will entertain many generations to come. RIP (1925-2012).
Post a Comment
Read more