South East Asia & the Pacific Rim

Regional Arenas - South East Asia & The Pacific Rim

After months of expected   violent confrontation between the  supporters of pro- former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a ‘coup”  in 2006 organized  by those who look after the Thai monarchy and belong to what is known as the Privy Council , and the  backers of the King’s keepers, erupted into a major conflict on May 19 when  hundreds of troops belonging to the Thai Army moved in to disperse  the protestors from an almost 3 square kilometer area in a busy business area of Bangkok using firepower. The protestors were occupying the areas of downtown Bangkok since April 3 and were demanding removal of the Oxford-educated Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, handpicked earlier by King’s keepers. It is a bygone conclusion that while this was not the first such violent ending to public protests in Thailand, nor would it be the last. As long as the people of Thailand would allow continuation of a decrepit monarchy, run by a coterie who is in essence King’s keepers and who keep the political and military power in their hands with help from abroad, no doubt, more blood will be shed in the coming months and years. 

At the same time, it was never explicitly clear what exactly the negotiating points were of the pro-Thaksin backers were, but what was clear from the very outset was that they wanted the duly-electedPrime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra reinstated.  Majority of those who were demanding reinstatement of Thaksin were from northeast Thailand of the Laotian-Khmer origin. However, there were many   Bangkok urbanites that had joined the majority pro-Thaksin demonstrators. There was a clear attempt  in the Thai media, and among the foreign media persons, who  sought a “decisive” evidence why the poor and less-privileged  stake their lives  for a seemingly  “unimportant issue” such as getting a  deposed prime minister back, to paint the protestors as virtual outsiders  and of different stock altogether. The pro-King’s keepers were portrayed as Bangkok urbanites, prosperous, educated and rational.