Blogging from Bangkok
Posts tagged as:
Here are some recent stories about the newest wave of anti-government protests1 here in Bangkok (the most recent is the first story):
AFP: “Thai protesters march on foreign ministry”
Red-clad protesters marched on Thailand’s foreign ministry Wednesday, hours after the prime minister evaded demonstrators besieging his offices for a second day in their bid to unseat the [...]
{ 0 comments }
WSJ: “Rival Thai Parties Vie to Form Government”
Thailand’s rival political parties are racing to form the country’s next government this week, with the opposition Democrat Party claiming it has won the support of enough legislators to form a ruling coalition — a move its leaders say could ease the political turmoil that has mounted in [...]
{ 0 comments }
Here’s the latest news from Bangkok:
– Yesterday (Tues.) a court ruled that Thailand’s governing party must disband. The prime minister has now been forced from office. (Demonstrators had said they wouldn’t leave the airport until the PM quits.)
– Anti-government protesters announced yesterday that they’ll cease their protests at the international airport today (Wed.). (Demonstrations at [...]
{ 0 comments }
Bangkok’s international airport remains closed today, and it’s unclear when flights will resume. Yesterday I visited U-Tapao airport, about two hours southeast of Bangkok, where some international flights have been arriving and landing. Here’s an AFP story I wrote about the scene there:
AFP/Bangkok Post: “At U-Tapao: ‘They have killed tourism’“
{ 2 comments }
Here are the latest developments from Bangkok:
– Anti-government protesters continue to occupy Bangkok’s international airport. They have now also forced the closure of Bangkok’s domestic airport.
– Thousands of passengers are still stranded here in the city, though they’ve been moved from the airport to various hotels. (Some tourists have reportedly been able to leave Thailand [...]
{ 0 comments }
Some updates on the situation here in Bangkok:
TIME: “Thailand’s Political Crisis Becomes a Global One”
With a demure smile and a garland of jasmine, Thailand has always welcomed the world. China and Japan may have screened themselves off for centuries, but the ancient kingdom of Siam, as Thailand was once known, thrived on trade and tourism. [...]
{ 1 comment }
I spent 10 hours at Bangkok’s international airport yesterday talking to stranded passengers and PAD protesters.
Here’s a story I put together for ABCNews.com: “Thai Protests Strand Thousands of Tourists.“
{ 0 comments }
AP/WSJ: “Protesters Force Bangkok Airport to Suspend Takeoffs”
Anti-government demonstrators swarmed Bangkok’s international airport late Tuesday — halting departing flights — as opponents and supporters of Thailand’s government fought running battles in the streets of the city.
Minutes after outbound flights at Suvarnabhumi International Airport were suspended, hundreds of demonstrators — some masked and armed with metal [...]
{ 0 comments }
I’m looking out my window at central Bangkok. It’s the early evening, darkness has fallen, and people are heading home from work. Taxis cruise by along the road outside my window. People jog around a scenic park. And motorcycle taxi drivers ferry people about. It’s business as usual.
But sporadic violence has erupted in other parts [...]
{ 0 comments }
For some background info on the ongoing protests here in Bangkok (including a map of protest sites, above), check out this article from Stratfor: “Thailand: Tensions Reach New Heights.”
{ 0 comments }
Here are some links to media coverage of the ongoing protests in Bangkok today:
IHT: “Thai protesters surround parliament”
Anti-government demonstrators spread across Bangkok on Monday morning, surrounding the Parliament building and advancing on the police headquarters in what they described as a final push to unseat the government.
Officials canceled a session of Parliament scheduled for Monday [...]
{ 1 comment }
Bangkok Post: “Bangkok Bomb”
At least one anti-government protester was killed and 24 were wounded in a pre-dawn bomb blast Thursday inside a demonstration site in Bangkok, emergency services said.
The bomb went off at 3:28am in front of a stage at Government House compound, which protesters from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have occupied since [...]
{ 0 comments }
The clashes between police and anti-government protesters here in Bangkok on Tuesday morning left two people dead and more than 400 injured. Order has been restored, but political uncertainty remains. Here are some recent news reports:
WSJ editorial: Thailand in Turmoil
Two years after the Thai military ousted then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the full cost of [...]
{ 0 comments }
Bloomberg: Thai Police Fire Tear Gas to Disperse Protesters, Several Hurt
Thai police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who were blocking the Parliament building to prevent Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from presenting his new administration’s policies. Dozens of people were injured.
Thousands of Bangkok residents who have occupied the prime minister’s office since Aug. 26 moved [...]
{ 1 comment }
It’s been less than a week since I last wrote about the protests here in Bangkok.
A lot has happened since then.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has been forced from office. Thailand’s Constitutional Court found him guilty of breaking the law by continuing to host his TV cooking show. At first, Samak’s political party, the PPP, [...]
{ 0 comments }