Thailand scene
I moved to Bangkok a couple of weeks ago when the pro-Thaksin Red Shirts and the current Thai government seemed to be on the brink of reaching accord. In fact, I walked around amongst the protesters in their make-shift campsite in the centre of Bangkok's financial and shopping districts near the national stadium. The scene was tame; some of the tents had children playing computer games, women lounging around and men folk chatting amongst themselves. They had their own medical check-up stations, water supplies and a myriad of food stalls. The whole place had loudspeakers blaring live speakers from the centre stage only a few blocks away. The exit and entry points were barricaded with stack of tires, bamboo sticks, barbed wires and red cloths.
As the talks fell through, sniper attacks, home made bottle bombs and real bullets replaced the otherwise peaceful scene I had seen only a few days earlier. I watched convoys of army trucks drive by on the expressway leading to the site from the old Don Muaeng Airport past my hotel which is located about 10 miles east of the epicentre. Last weekend, there was smoke bellowing all day long from behind the skyscraper lined centre of Bangkok. The sky train and the underground stations closest to my location were closed.
There are several sources of information feeding the foreigners - or "farangs" as we are known here: in addition to regular e-mail updates from our respective embassies, there are blogs as well as the foreign journalists. The BBC has come out and declared the former PM, Thaksin Sinawatra to be the "corrupt" person working the protests from behind the scene. Rumour has it that some of the Red Shirts field leaders themselves have admitted being funded by him.
For now life goes on as normal: Thais are indifferent and patient. We, the "farangs" are somewhat bemused and a little anxious. I expect we will get used to this also. With the financial crisis in Greece, the ashes from Iceland, the oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico looming in the background, Bangkok does not seem like a bad place at all to call my new home. Things will get fixed the time honoured Thai way - hopefully sooner than later!
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