Violence in Bangkok

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I’m sure that we all knew it was coming.  The anti-government protesters have had their “Bangkok Shutdown” marches all week and have been generally peaceful.  But nights have begun to be dangerous in some areas of the city, with several incidents of protesters being shot near their rally points and bombs thrown at the homes of prominent anti-government figures. 

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But today a bomb/grenade was thrown into the midst of anti-government protest marchers during broad daylight, sending dozens to hospital.  If history gives us instructive lessons, this will get much worse.  Tensions are building.

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The caretaker PM Yinglick (little sister of convicted fugitive Thaksin) and her caretaker government are being cornered by a number of corruption investigations by the courts that look to be quite sound, and their power base, the rural rice farmers whose numerous votes they’ve ‘bought’ by economically unsound populist policies (e.g., the insane guaranteed “rice-pledging” scheme), are angry and up in arms because their unreasonably expected goodies have not been -- and can never be -- delivered as promised.  It will get uglier.  This is Thailand. 

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We try to stay out of major trouble here on the city’s outskirts. 

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-Zenwind.

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