Category: Thai politics

Red shirt leaders have said they accept, in principle, Prime Minister Abhisit’s proposal for new elections in November. This would be 13 months before Abhisit was originally due to face new polls. But there are a few sticking points.

First, as political analysts have pointed out, both sides want to be in control of the government in September. That’s when the military re-shuffle, or promotions, are set to occur. ((For previous posts about divisions within the Thai military, see here, here, and here.)) And this is also when the national budget it set.

Second, red shirt leaders say they want more details about how the new elections will come about. Some leaders have said that Abhisit himself lacks the power to call new elections, and that only the election commission can take such action.

For more, here’s a CSM story from yesterday. And for more on the Thai military, I suggest reading this WSJ story from today.

That’s the big story at the moment. Here are dispatches from the WSJ, NYT, and AP.

But will the red shirt leaders accept the proposal? We shall see. An answer should come soon…

The latest here in Thailand is the ongoing fallout from the red shirts’ invasion of a hospital on Thurs. night. Here’s a story from the BBC that explains what happened.

Meanwhile, below are a few miscellaneous images I’ve snapped over the last few days. There have been various troops stationed in Bangkok’s Asoke area (in addition to other areas around town); here are a few soldiers standing guard. (There have been no sizable red shirt protests or “mobile rallies” in this area, so far.)

The other images here are photos I snapped at the Rajaprasong intersection — home of the main protest site — yesterday.

Thailand violence flares as red-shirts and troops clash [BBC, April 28, 2010 — includes video footage]

Thai troops and a convoy of hundreds of red-shirt protesters have clashed on the outskirts of Bangkok.

One soldier has died, reportedly from a shot fired by a member of the security forces, and at least 10 people have been injured.

The protesters had earlier left their fortified camp in central Bangkok to drive to a rally 50km (30 miles) away.

Thai troops, protesters clash in Bangkok suburb [Reuters, April 28, 2010]

Thai troops fired live rounds in the air and shot rubber bullets in a chaotic clash with anti-government protesters on a highway in Bangkok’s suburbs on Wednesday that wounded 10 people and possibly killed one.

Stay tuned for more. And don’t forget that for real-time updates, you can consult my Thailand Twitter list.

Above is a map of the red shirt protest zones here in Bangkok. It appears to be accurate as of April 25.

The map shows the areas currently occupied by protesters, and includes details about roadblocks. You can find a bigger version here, or by clicking on the image above.

(The image source is unknown; found via @farangone)

Cross-posted to TopicThailand.com, where I continue to add resources (and fiddle with the graphical design).

Here’s the latest news:

1. Thais Worry About Lasting Violence [WSJ]
2. Thailand’s yellows urge action against red-shirts [BBC News]
3. Thai rallies ditch red shirts in case of crackdown [AP]

And for those of you wondering whether or not it’s safe to visit Thailand, I suggest checking out Staying Safe in Thailand: Streetwise Advice + Twitter, a post from Catherine Wentworth.