Newley Purnell
Things have been relatively quiet here in Bangkok today. I’ll write more tomorrow or Thurs.
In the meantime, you might wish to check out a few new pieces of analysis I’ve linked to from TopicThailand.com. These include this Economist story on Saturday’s clash; this analysis of the economic situation from Phatra Securities, one of Thailand’s largest brokerages; and this AFP story on some recent remarks from the Thai foreign minister.
Stay tuned…
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Here are my images from yesterday. These reflect the aftermath of Saturday’s violence.
Included here are images of the site of the clash, near Khao San Rd., and a procession for some of the dead protesters that took place at Democracy Monument.
There are a few more in the full Flickr photoset.
And to re-cap:
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Self promotion: Here’s a CNNGo.com story I wrote about the scene at Khao San Rd. today. Includes pics.
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Dear friends: I have just launched a new site, TopicThailand.com. It’s designed to provide background info to help understand the complex political situation here.
You’ll find a summary of the latest news, a timeline of events since 2005, a who’s who breakdown, and plenty of links to resources for learning more.
The site is a work in progress, and I look forward to adding to it over time. (You can read more in the About section.)
I will, of course, still be blogging here at Newley.com. I see TopicThailand as a more static site that focuses on context and analysis.
Stay tuned. And thanks, as ever, for reading.
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Here are some images that I snapped last night. Warning: some are graphic. The full photoset also contains images from the previous day.
For context on the military crackdown, see the descriptions I posted on Twitter in real-time. The AP says 18 people have been killed in the clashes. Five soldiers and 13 civilians.
For the latest news, here are stories from the NYT, WSJ, AP, and Reuters (1 — and 2).
A cache of weapons on Phan Fah stage. The red shirts said they took the arms from soldiers.
Captured soldiers being held on stage at Phan Fah bridge. I asked one of the red shirts what they would do with these men. He said they would be held until tomorrow (today — Sun.). About 10 min. after I took this photo, the men were lead to an area behind the stage, out of sight.
Protesters’ bodies on stage at Phan Fah bridge
A red shirt media liaison told me this man was the father of one of the protesters who was killed. The man’s son was 25 years old. The man collapsed after crying over his son’s body.
A red shirt protester poses with a riot shield.
A plastic bag full of spent shell casings.
A pool of blood not far from Khao San Rd.
A red shirt woman speaks with soldiers near Makkawan.
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Lots happening here in Bangkok — and in the north — today. Not much time to blog, but as ever, you can follow my updates on Twitter.
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Boston.com’s excellent photo blog, The Big Picture, has a round-up of 34 images of the recent redshirt protests here in Thailand. Worth a look.
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Here are five Thailand-related links for your edification as the red shirt protests grind on here in Bangkok:
For ongoing news, you can consult the Bangkok Post or The Nation.
And to fulfill your Twitter needs, here’s a list I’ve compiled of more than 80 Thailand-related Twitter-ers. This list is comprised of individuals and various news sources.
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That’s the title of a story I wrote today for CNNGo.com. (The piece has also been linked to from CNN.com International)
And while I’m shamelessly self-promoting, a heads-up that you can see my coverage of events here in Thailand on Channel News Asia. And if you’re in the U.S., you might be able to catch a brief dispatch I filed last night for ABC News Radio.
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A few hours ago the Thai government imposed a state of emergency here in Bangkok after red shirt protesters invaded the parliament compound. This incursion forced government ministers to evacuate via helicopter and MPs had to escape via the rear of the building.
AP has a story about the state of emergency declaration. And see the Bangkok Post for stories about today’s protests at parliament.
Key bit of info: The state of emergency gives the army the power to break up gatherings of more than five people, which would bring the protests to an end. It’s unclear when or if the military will enforce this, however.
Meanwhile, red shirt protests at the Rajaprasong intersection (blogged about here) and elsewhere continue.
Stay tuned. Don’t forget that for quick updates, you can follow me on Twitter here.
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I'm Newley Purnell, an American journalist in Bangkok. I report for Bloomberg BNA, ABC News Radio, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and more.