Mass Demonstrations in Thailand

In demonstrations reminiscent of the Iranian Green movement, thousands (”hundreds of thousands” according to some reports, over 100,000 by the Thai government’s estimate) of Thai “Red Shirt” pro-democracy demonstrators took to the streets of Bangkok and other cities. The aim was to protest the current military-installed government and demand free elections. Thailand’s elected government was overthrown by a military coup in 2006. Since then the military has installed a civilian government headed by Abhisit Vejjajiva, but the army remains the power behind the scene.

No predictions on where this will end. There have been smaller protests before. These are larger, but the government has clamped down hard, moving 40,000 security troops into the capital. It’s clear there is growing tension between the ruling elites and the mass of the population and the question is not whether violence will result, but rather how much.

Here is a link to a current news article on the demonstrations.

Here is a link to several shorter pieces also covering the demonstrations and some background to them.

Here is a link to an analysis piece by a Thai expatriate currently living in the United Kingdom. It is from a leftist perspective, so fair warning: if you’re allergic to that, you will sneeze.

About the Author: The major landmarks in Frank's historical interests range from ancient Persia through the Crimean War, World War II, and the modern U.S. Armed Forces, with a lot of stops in between. Frank is fascinated by the unusual, the overlooked, and the surprising. He is the New York Times number one best-selling author of the Desert Shield Fact Book (1991) and he is currently writing an historical novel on Alexander's conquest of Persia – from the Persian point of view.

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