Today is the second anniversary of the May 19, 2010 army crackdown on red shirt protesters in central Bangkok.
As I mentioned earlier, red shirts and others are gathering at Rajaprasong today to mark the occasion.
This AP piece provides some context. Here’s an AFP story about today’s rally. And here’s a post I wrote about my experiences on that day in 2010.
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to update this post later, so I wanted to provide a few images of today’s gathering that I’ve come across on Twitter.
As ever, Richard Barrow is Tweeting from the scene. He snapped the panoramic photo above at 3:09 p.m. Bangkok time. Here’s a bigger version.
Richard says the following events are on tap for the rest of the day:
Scedule: Monk ceremony at 3pm, UDD leaders speaking from 6:20pm, Thaksin at 8pm, Thida at 8:30pm & then Amsterdam, Jatuporn, Nattawut…
— Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) May 19, 2012
Above is another photo from about half an hour earlier, courtesy of Pailin C (@_Willowtree_).
I think it’s safe to assume that crowds will grow as the day continues and temperatures drop.
The intersection is closed to traffic, and MCOT has advised motorists to avoid the area.
And shoppers who had planned to visit the adjacent CentralWorld should be advised that the mall has now closed, MCOT says:
CentralWorld announces it is closing as of 3pm, to resume normal operation on Sunday after Red Shirt gathering at Ratchaprasong ends
— MCOT English News (@MCOT_Eng) May 19, 2012
For ongoing updates, you can find me on Twitter: @Newley. Here’s my Thailand Twitter list and my list of Bangkok journalists on Twitter.
In addition, of course, you can consult The Bangkok Post and The Nation.