Things are still simmering away, however it has quietened down a little after the blood spilling protest the other day.
That stunt doesn’t seem to have done the Red Shirts any favours, sparking disgust amongst the Yellow Shirts, neutrals and foreigners alike. Not only that, many Red Shirts also seemed none too pleased about it either. There are a variety of reasons for this, the most prominent being the sheer wastefulness of a valuable resource, hygiene and what it has actually achieved.
The numbers of protestors have certainly dwindled since then, the numbers being quoted are that originally there were 100,000 now that’s down to around 18,000. These people are largely the mass of unemployed people from the Isaan area who have nothing really to go back to, expect to see these people in Bangkok for a while yet and I wouldn’t rule out another stunt like the blood protest. I would imagine Thaksin will appear on the “big screen” as well at some point to rally his people.
The next planned movement is for a convoy of pickups to drive around Bangkok on Saturday 20th March. Expect traffic delays and annoying loud speakers and megaphones as the protest leaders try to drum up more support.
Generally the situation remains OK for foreigners, as always keep your wits about you and avoid the protest areas, generally around Government House, Democracy Monument and the PM’s house. If you’re due to depart for Thailand soon, keep an eye on your Government’s foreign office advisory for Thailand.
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Friday 19 March 2010
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