Just seen this on the news. Got at least one poster on here from that part of the world and I've been there a few times and never thought this wold happen. Wondered why? Any idea Thai?
The Prime Minister Yungluck Shiniwatra (yes, sister of Taksin) was booted out a couple of weeks ago, with the only opposition party accusing her of a spot of nepotism, among other things. The thing is, this opposition lot are looking to place a dictatorship, where as the 'Red Shirts', Yungluck and Co are democratic, and by far the widest supported in the country. This has been going on since Taksin was exiled years ago, and the 'Yellow Shirts' just will not let go. They have been trying to get power for 20+ years but never get enough votes, probably because the people don't want a return to a dictatorship (fair enough). To cap it off, the leader of the 'Yellows', the one that wants all the power is 98 years old! Why the hell would he want this crap at his stage of life - it really does defy logic and belief. This is not the first time the Army have stepped in either. A coup occurred some years ago, and took sides with the 'Yellows'. This time they are neutral and banging heads together for the two parties to reach some kind of acceptable agreement As long as the 'Yellows' believe that Taksin still has influence in the 'Red Shirts', I don't see this going away in a hurry The good news is - none of this bothers us, where we live
For a bit more background................ Think of the 'Yellows' as Conservative - the elite and wealthy. The 'Reds' are for the workers (Labour - as it once was). A few weeks ago, when all the proverbial was hitting the fan, there was a 6.5 earthquake in Chiang Mai (North West Thailand), and Yungluck wanted to send 6.5 billion baht to the local authorities to assist in rebuilding etc. The 'Yellows' were having none of it - because Bangkok was not effected! That is the bottom line. Yellows are the Bangkok and district elite, where everything happens in the country, and the rural areas can go **** themselves, as far as they are concerned.
This is often a misconception Dave. If you are going anywhere other than Bangkok, there should not be any problem whatsoever. If going to Bangkok, where most of the dirty old men go, that too should be safe enough. Most of the flash points typically occur to the south of the city on two specific roads (the only roads capable of handling large rallies, and it is these rallies the Army are trying to put an end to). If travelling alone (i.e. not as a family group) then it should be no real issue. Even as a family group, it should be safe enough providing you know where to avoid Various Embassies will now issue travel warnings, but these are only to cover their arses in case something does happen, as unlikely as that is.
Judging by the report on the BBC news channel the Army means business and are planning on a long period of power.Apparently they have taken over all TV stations and have shut down BBC and CNN as well as imposing a night time curfew starting at 5pm. Is that nationwide, Thai, or just Bangkok? Not much of a holiday if the pubs shut at 5!!! They also are looking into cutting internet connection - is that really possible? - so if you disappear off air we will know why.
I am not aware of any curfew in these parts, and I would assume that any curfew would be in Bangkok, again to stop the rallies and meetings of the two opposing party followers. Yes, all TV channels have been closed down, and all schools are closed today, though I am not sure why that was necessary. As you can see, the internet is alive and well and if they should cut it (and yes they could) that would create a serious issue for me, so hopefully they will not go down that route. The following is from the Bangkok Post... Radio and television stations were ordered to suspend their normal broadcasts. A curfew between 10pm-5am was imposed and gatherings of more than five people banned. Still no mention if it is country wide or not, not that it would bother me one way or the other. So the nightlife can still get in to full swing in Bangkok & Pattaya, just needs to close down a few hours earlier.
