Tag: Bangkok

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Bangkok blast kills 1, injures scores

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 late August.

The Nation: “1 killed, 26 injured in explosion in Government House”

One protester was killed and 26 other were injured when a bomb exploded inside the Government House complex in front of the main stage of the People’s Alliance for Democracy early Thursday morning.

Guards and protesters said the explosion occurred at 3:25 am, just a day after the so-called ceasefire during the royal cremation period.

Reuters: “Thai protesters blame govt for grenade attack”

The leader of a long-running anti-government street protest in Thailand called for a major rally on Sunday to oust the “murderous government” after one of his supporters was killed by a grenade.

Sondhi Limthongkul accused the government of having a direct hand in the firing of the grenade in the early hours of Thursday into the Government House compound that has been occupied by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) since August.

AFP: “One killed, 22 wounded in Bangkok blast: police”

One Thai protester was killed and 22 wounded Thursday in a blast at a Bangkok demonstration site, police said, raising fears that political violence is resuming after a brief lull for a royal funeral.

The explosion hit at 3:28 am (2028 GMT Wednesday) in front of a stage at the prime minister’s Government House offices, which anti-government protesters from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have occupied since late August.

FT: “Explosion kills Thai protester”

An explosion at an anti-government protest site in central Bangkok has killed one person and wounded 24 others, further raising the temperature in Thailand’s bitterly divided politics.

A device exploded just before 3.30am at Government House, which housed the offices of the Prime Minister until anti-government demonstrators occupied it in late August.

For updates on the story, as always, check out Bangkok Pundit.

And for additional info, here are my posts tagged Bangkok protests, including the audio slide show I put together back in September.

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Misc.

“No helmet? No problem!”

2015-11-28_helmetjpg

Thanks to the eagle-eyed KB for discovering that a photo I took here in Bangkok in October, 2006 has made its way into an Internet meme ((Related newley.com post: “My Buddy Lands a Deer — A Mile Offshore“; verification at Snopes.com: “Deerly Departed.”)) featuring funny photos of motorcycles and motorcyclists.

Above is the image. Someone grabbed it from my Flickr photostream and added it to this collection of photos purporting to document silly scenes ((Many of the images remind me of “Bikes of Burden,” a book that, in fact, contains authentic images from Vietnam.)) in Vietnam. (Many of the images in this Web collection are from other parts of Asia, it appears.) Someone in KB’s master’s degree program at a Bangkok university forwarded her the email and the images, and KB recognized my pic among the others.

While I’m no stranger to Vietnam, I actually snapped the image above — hat tip to A for spotting the guy that day — in the Bang Na area of Bangkok on a Saturday afternoon. The driver seemed to be transporting the bucket on his head since he had no other way to carry it.

But I like the appended caption better: “No helmet – no problem. I got what I need.”

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Misc.

61 Floors, the Hard Way: the Banyan Tree Vertical Marathon

[not my image] Vertigo Rooftop Bar, Banyan Tree, Bangkok

Yesterday my friends S and J and I participated in the 10th annual Banyan Tree vertical marathon here in Bangkok. The rules of the contest were as follows:

1. Sprint up the stairs to the top of the 61-floor hotel.

2. Go as fast as you can.

3. There is no rule three. Just run!

And I did just that. More or less. I ran up the first 10 floors and then I realized that there was no way in hell that I could maintain that pace for 51 more floors. So the rest of my ascent amounted to light jogging and brisk walking. But I didn’t stop.

I made it to the top in 11 minutes and 23 seconds, which was good enough for 184th place out of 513 participants. I finished 79th out of 159 in my category (men between the ages of 26 and 39). Here are the official results. The winning racer made it up in 6:19!

I was happy with my showing, given the fact that I didn’t train for the event. S and J, who also went in blind, did really well — they each managed top-15 finishes in their categories. (We ran separately.)

The race concluded at the Banyan Tree’s aptly-named rooftop bar, Vertigo, pictured above. Considering that it was 8 a.m., and given the state of our cardiovascular systems, we had water, not cocktails, to celebrate finishing. And then we took the elevator down.

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Thailand Update: Samak Out, State of Emergency Lifted

Thailand Protests: Bangkok, September 2008

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, said they’d re-nominate him for PM. Then parliament met on Friday to vote on the matter, but coalition parties and even some PPP MPs boycotted the vote. So word trickled out, late on Friday, that the PPP would nominate someone different for the post. Samak is now out.

Meanwhile, the state of emergency has been lifted here in Bangkok. And the parliament is due to meet this week to vote on a new PM. (The caretaker PM, interestingly enough, is now the PPP’s Somchai Wongsawat, brother in law of…Thaksin Shinawatra.)

If you’d like to see some images of the protests, here are 35 photos I’ve just posted from my visits to Government House. Demonstrators are now occupying the compound for a third week.

Here’re the latest headlines:

AP: “Thailand lifts emergency, citing drop in tourism”

AFP: “Thailand lifts state of emergency”

NY Times/IHT: “Drop in Thai tourism leads to plea for end to crisis”

Bloomberg: “Thailand Votes on Premier This Week After Emergency Rule Lifted”

WSJ: “Thailand’s Ruling Party Abandons Bid for Samak”

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Bangkok Protests: Thursday Update

When news spread last night that Thailand’s Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was to give a radio address at 7:30 a.m. today, rumors swirled that he would use the occasion to announce his resignation. Instead, he refused to cave in. “Don’t even think I am going to quit,” he said. “The country needs a leader, and the world is watching us.”

As protesters occupied Government House for the 10th straight day, Samak proposed a nation-wide referendum to find a way forward.

The state of emergency continues, and more and more countries are warning their citizens to exercise caution here — or not to come at all. The majority of Bangkok is unaffected by the demonstrations. Still, there are concerns about what the turmoil means for the Thai tourism industry.

Here’s a roundup of the latest media coverage:

New York Times: “Thai Leader Promises Referendum”

Economist: “An emergency in Thailand: The army is called in as pro- and anti-government protesters clash”

Bloomberg: “Thailand May Miss Tourism Targets as Unrest Spurs Cancellations”

Reuters: “Defiant Thai PM refuses to quit”

AP: “Thai protest leader wants to reduce voters’ power”

Wall Street Journal: “Thailand’s New (Old) Politics”

Telegraph: “Bank steps in to support the baht as Thailand plagued by political unrest”

Notable blog posts:

Bangkok Pundit: “Resign, No; Dissolution, No; Referendum, Yes UPDATE”

2Bangkok: “PAD’s ‘final war'”

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Audio Slide Show: State of Emergency in Bangkok

Following my previous effort, here’s a 2-minute, 18-second audio slide show I put together after spending some time at Government House today. That’s where PAD protesters are demonstrating against Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. Early today a protester was killed and several were seriously injured, which prompted the government to declare a state of emergency.

Despite the fact that gatherings of more than five people have been prohibited, the protest felt much like a carnival: protesters clad in yellow — a color that represents their beloved King — stood in front of a large stage and listened to various speeches. Others relaxed under tarps and clapped, chatted, and snacked. Riot police stood by a few blocks away.

“We are fighting against the tyranny of Thaksin and Samak,” one protester told me. “We are willing to give up our lives for freedom.”

(Note: Those of you reading this via my rss feed will need to click through to view the slide slow on my site.)

My audio slide show from last week can be found here.

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Thai PM Imposes State of Emergency

A state of emergency has been imposed here in Bangkok after a protester was killed and several were seriously wounded in clashes between anti-government and pro-government demonstrators early this morning.

For ongoing coverage, check out:

— The Nation

— The Bangkok Post

Here’s a story from the Straits Times: “Emergency in Bangkok: At least one killed by PAD gunfire in pitched battle between pro and anti-government mobs.”

And here’s an AP video report on YouTube: “Thai PM Declares Emergency in Capital”

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Bangkok Protests: Monday Update

Here’s a round-up of media coverage regarding the ongoing protests here in Thailand.

The most recent news:

— There was a small explosion at a police booth here in Bangkok early today (Monday). There were no injuries.

— The airport in Phuket has re-opened.

— And Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who protesters say is a puppet of ousted PM Thaksin, says he won’t resign. Protesters say they won’t relent until Samak steps down.

New York Times/IHT: “Thai Government Backers Take to Streets”

Thailand’s political crisis entered a more delicate and volatile phase on Sunday when government supporters took to the streets as a counterweight to the antigovernment protesters who have occupied the prime minister’s compound for almost a week.

Thai academic Thitinan Pongsudhirak, in the Bangkok Post: “Tyranny of a minority”

In other civilised countries, provocation and occupation of the seat of government would bring swift enforcement of the law. The PAD’s revolting rampage has been met with tame official responses.

AFP: “Thai PM searches for end to protests after rejecting new polls”

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej sought a peaceful solution Monday to end a week of anti-government protests, after again rejecting calls for him to resign or hold new elections.

Thousands of protesters remained camped at the main government complex in central Bangkok early Monday, after storming through the gates seven days ago accusing Samak of acting as a puppet for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Samak called an emergency session of parliament on Sunday, but the debate failed to produce any plan for ending the protests.

Wall Street Journal: “Thai Leader Vows to Remain Despite Crisis”

Thailand’s besieged government is struggling to defuse a political crisis after waves of antigovernment protests spread beyond the country’s capital, forcing closures of several regional airports and disrupting rail services.

The escalating political confrontation threatens to destabilize the popularly elected government of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and could begin to undermine the country’s economy, especially the vital tourism sector, which is vulnerable to any prolonged disruption of air travel.

Reuters: “Small bomb explodes near occupied Thai Govt House”

A small bomb exploded in a central Bangkok police booth on Monday as a stand-off between the Thai Prime Minister and protesters occupying his office entered its seventh day with no sign of either side backing down.

The blast, shortly after 1 a.m. (1800 GMT on Sunday), shattered nearby windows but caused no injuries.

And the BBC’s Jonathan Head has this analysis: “Rifts behind Thailand’s political crisis”

It has been nearly two years since an unexpected military coup deposed then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and appeared to freeze Thailand’s democratic evolution in its tracks.

The country has experienced 15 months of benign military rule, the drafting of a new constitution, and a general election which returned a party run by Mr Thaksin’s allies to office.

Yet there is still a sense of unending crisis, of a country still deeply polarised over the former prime minister and his attempts to transform Thailand.

The occupation of the main government offices in central Bangkok this week by protesters from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has underscored just how difficult it is to end this turbulence.

For ongoing news, check out Bangkok Pundit. And my audio slide show from last Wednesday contains some images and sounds from the protests.

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Misc.

Bangkok Protests

AP: “Protesters lay siege to Thai television station”

Bloomberg: “Thai Protesters Storm TV Station in Bid to Oust Samak”

Reuters: “Thai PM says losing patience with anti-govt protests”

And Bangkok Pundit is live-blogging the protests.

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Misc.

Best Burger in Bangkok

If you ask me, dining on an authentic krapow moo kai dao — stir fried pork with chili, basil, and a fried egg — can be a near-religious experience. I firmly believe that a fiery som tam (papaya salad) is one of the world’s greatest dishes. A well-executed gaeng keow wan gai (green chicken curry) has moved me, in times past, to the brink of tears. In short, I can’t get enough of Thai food.

But as an American living in Asia, not only do I appreciate creatively-conceived Western junk food, but I also harbor intense cravings, from time to time, for hamburgers. My god, hamburgers.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve sampled burgers at some of Bangkok’s most popular pubs, in addition a few speciality restaurants that claim to serve “Bangkok’s best burgers.” But I’ve been, by and large, underwhelmed. I’m a minimalist, favoring simple burgers like those served at Five Guys, on the east coast of the US, and by Dick’s in Seattle.

Enter Triple O’s by White Spot, a franchise based in Vancouver, BC. (Yes, Canada.) The joint opened in Bangkok about a year ago — the ones in Hong Kong are popular among foreigners — but I’d yet to visit the establishment, as it’s hidden in the rafters of Central World Plaza.

Having heard of Triple O’s from A (via S, who heard of it through R and J), I was pleased to find a tasty and fresh — though not needlessly gargantuan — patty, a toasted bun, and fresh toppings that included lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. I also found the famed Triple O sauce to be a nice touch. The fries were pretty good, too. I’ve heard grumblings that Triple O patties can be thin and lifeless, but mine was substantial. Highly recommended — if you ever get sick of Thai food, that is.

Triple O’s by White Spot
Central Food Hall, Central World Plaza, 7th floor
Telephone: 02 613 1640

For further reading, I suggest “Searching for Bagnkok’s Best Burgers” (written, as best I can tell, before Triple O’s came to town, though the author is knowledgeable and thorough).