Thinking about Thailand…

I debated about writing this post because I don’t want WLT to be taken over by Thai politics. Also, my leanings are more towards history, with a preference towards reading about politicians long dead. So political events in Thailand, especially as they happen, are in a mist of confusion because I don’t have a deep knowledge of the many arguments going around.

I will continue to make my way through the many books and resources suggested in Newley’s TopicThailand.com. But it’s a slow process so I’m sure to be plugging away when the next round hits Thailand. And it will. Guaranteed.

To explain just how not up I am on Thai politics, if allowed to vote in Thai elections I’d vote for Abhisit. Why? Because he’s cute. See? (Yes, I am blushing).

The idea for this post came from Tony’s video: Bangkok Burns. I started to leave a comment, then realized that I had too much to say. Also, I wanted to write down my personal feelings from when I started taking photos of the Red Shirts parades, to the present (please note that I said ‘feelings’ and not ‘political views’). But I wasn’t quite sure if I should write about them at all. Until now.

This week a comment came via email saying that WLT presented just the one side: The Red Shirts. That is incorrect; I support all of Thailand. But after a bit of a think, I now understand where he’s coming from. My site is awash with red, but so was Bangkok. There is no denying.

Looking back through recent Bankgok events is painful…

On May 19th, when I flipped through to the different tv channels watching the Thai army go into the Red Shirt fort at Ratchaprasong, I did what I rarely do. I cried. Hard. I’m not a person who cries hard very often. But when it does happen, it always involves death: My granddaughter, grandmother, father-in-law, former husband, a marriage, the 9/11 attack on the WTC.

Without coming off overly dramatic, I’m not sure what to call this death. Do you?

On the 19th, upset and pissed off at pretty much everyone involved (as well as suffering from a rare loss for words), I ditched my idea for a ‘Heartfelt wishes to Thailand’ post. I preferred to go with Bon’s sweet From Thailand to the World creation instead. Thank you Bon.

Let me explain… During the Red Shirt parades around Bangkok I found it easy to believe that the supporters intended for their protest to be a peaceful one (btw – I quit at the symbolic blood spilling as I don’t do blood).

Banners stating สันติ วิธี (the peaceful way) were found everywhere on Red Shirt banners, trucks, vans, t-shirts and hats even. Both in English and in Thai. And the Thais I talked to insisted the same – that theirs was to be a peaceful protest.

At the parades, well-to-do Bangkokians stopped me in the streets to explain why they and their friends, all Yellow Shirt supporters, had decided to show support for the Red Shirt cause. Now, as an expat, I don’t have a dog in this political fight. But some of the reasons they stated – the need for improved education, financial support from the government, and respect – made sense to me too.

But when Terry Fredrickson started translating what the Red Shirt leaders were saying on stage at Ratchaprasong, well, there you have it.

In that very same email I was asked if expats knew what the Red Shirts leaders were saying. I imagine a great deal of expats were unaware, but were Thais? And (shamefully), even though I was reading along with Terry, I kept their peaceful promise at the fore. I wrongly assumed that the leaders were similar to football coaches. You know what I mean, where they excite their teams with pep talks dripping with: kill, kill, kill, die, die, die. But football players are not expected to kill anything. Much.

And now I’m wondering what those very same Bangkokians were thinking when they heard the Red Shirt leaders incite their followers to kill Thai soldiers and burn down Bangkok. And if they still feel the same as they professed to me. I know I don’t. I still want what is best for all Thais, but I feel betrayed.

Do any of Red Shirts feel the same? Betrayed? And for the same reasons as I do?

The Red Shirts camps at Ratchaprasong are gone and the rains have mostly washed the smoke from the burning tires away. But not quite. I drove to Paragon on Thursday and my lungs started coughing up gunk the following day. It’s especially bad when I laugh. Yeah.

The staff at Paragon welcomed everyone back with what seemed to be brighter Thai smiles. At the entrance to Paragon’s Gourmet Market we received the Thai ไหว้ /wâi/ and were handed aromatic garlands (พวงมาลัย /puang maa-lai/). All through my shopping, canned announcements warned against leaving carts unattended, asking shoppers to please report suspicious behaviour.

So is this the new signs of the times in Bangkok?

There are many unanswered questions even now (and some I cannot ask). Important questions like: Who were the mysterious snipers, were Red Shirt guards (or anyone in power) stopping the supporters from leaving Ratchaprasong, will Thais ever start talking to Thais, will all sides admit where they went wrong, will Thaksin ever be brought back, and finally… what direction will Thailand choose to go in now? Because there is always a choice.

I’m wondering if these important questions will get answered if the insistence on online censorship continues. Personally, I shake at the mention.

Well, whatever happens next in Thailand certainly won’t be boring (even without the protests, it never is). But it might just be too much excitement for me. I’ve since lost my passion for taking photos of what I see around me in Thailand. And this, from a gal with a new 7D. Sad (I know, I know… and I plan to work on my newly negative attitude).

And that’s my last word on Thai politics. Edgewise.

If you’d like to help Thailand in even the smallest way, please consider donating to Thai education via the SET Foundation. If you don’t know about the foundation, there are two posts about SET on WLT: Inciting Acts of Kindness: The SET Foundation and The SET Foundation: A Season for Giving Back.

And if you’ve stopped by WLT to see the most amazing collection of free resources for learning the Thai language instead of reading about Thai politics, then you’ve come to the right place: Learn Thai for FREE.

Enjoy…

Note: The comments are open in this post, but I will be watching carefully for several reasons: Mudslinging and political rants bore me, and I do not want WLT to get closed down by the Thai government. So play nice everyone.

A bit more worried than before…

We are still ok! However now we are a bit more worried than before.

The 19th was hell on earth. Once the leaders gave up all hell broke loose and there were heavy explosions, gunfire, fireworks and smoke everywhere around us. Our windows were shaking vigorously with many explosions. This kept going until dark.

From our bedroom window we saw with horror and disbelief Centralworld first going up in heavy black smoke, then fire, and then we heard the terrible noise of part of the building collapsing. That was a shocking moment because it sent burning debris and sparks flying high up and towards our building. At times we were completely engulfed in the smoke from Centralworld – the stench from that fire is still hanging in our apartment.

This morning after the curfew we went out onto the street to see what’s left. What a mess! What a tragedy! Opposite what’s left from Centralworld BigC was engulfed in flames. Later firefighters told us that it’s completely burnt out in the inside.

There was so much destruction everywhere; so many shops and restaurants looted and burnt.

We met poor street vendors that sold us much of the food we had in the last weeks – many of them in tears trying to rescue at least something. Some reds were searching in what was left from their tents to see whether anything of their possessions might still be left.

Just when we went back home the street we were on came under fire from very close. We were running for our lives. Later troops were screening every corner, house, hotel and all roofs in the area from pockets of “terrorists”. We have not been allowed to leave our house for the rest of the days.

All people we met are absolutely convinced that this is now only a beginning and we will witness a bloody guerilla war starting soon. Doesn’t sound good.

We still heard gunfire and few explosions in our neighborhood during the day yesterday.

At least it’s quiet now. Let’s hope it remains that way.

Best regards,
Bernd Mechsner
flickr: Ratchaprasong
ThaiVisa: My Neighborhood Under Siege: Ratchaprason

For the rest of Bernd’s eye-witness reports from Ratchaprasong, please read:

• An Expat’s Eye-witness Report: Ratchaprasong Resort
• Update 1: Expat’s Eye-witness Report: Ratchaprasong Resort

NOTE: This is an eye-witness report only. As an expat, Bernd is not taking sides. At his request, comments have been closed.

Here is a short update…

At the moment we have power most of the time. There have been only a few blackouts so far. Mobile phone signal is off mostly and the internet signal is very unstable. Lots of interruptions – sometimes for hours. Water is still running with few interruptions.

Our neighborhood is completely sealed off with the army’s “Live Fire Zones”. The government reported that 32’000 troops are controlling the area and they have got the order “shoot to kill”. The government has confirmed today that the troops are authorized use live ammunition and to shoot anyone approaching them closer than 30m.

We have absolutely no way of getting out without risking our lives.

Going near those army checkpoints is a Russian Roulette. There have been 24 deaths and about 180 injured so far in the last two days. I’m afraid that the real number might be much higher.

There have been 24 deaths and about 180 injured so far in the last two days. According to various international media reports all deaths were unarmed civilians.

No supplies of food or anything else is coming into our neighborhood; we are now living of our reserves.

Yesterday and until the early morning hours we could hear nearly constant gunfire and some louder explosions from different directions. We haven’t slept properly for many days now.

Right now it’s quiet – what an incredible relief!! Let’s hope it’s not the calm before the big storm! The only threatening thing that can be seen right now is black smoke coming from around Lumpini Park.

We keep praying for the best.

Best regards,
Bernd Mechsner
flickr: Ratchaprasong
ThaiVisa: My Neighborhood Under Siege: Ratchaprason

What I see in my neighborhood…

I live in an apartment right in the middle of the Ratchaprasong area, so I am able to give a firsthand report about what I see. Several times a day, my wife and I go on the streets around the Ratchaprasong intersection, out among the reds.

From our windows we can see and hear the action 24/7 – we can also feel the windows vibrating from the hundreds of banks of loudspeakers and the noise of the crowd. In order to get on with our lives as normally as possible, we have no other choice than to dive into the red masses from time to time.

No matter which side it comes from, we keep a neutral attitude, ignoring the political lies and propaganda. To be honest, I see far too many deviations from the truth, and too much propaganda from all sides involved in the conflict.

When we are approached by friendly people, we don’t care what color they wear. With this attitude and putting the propaganda aside, it is actually a pleasant experience to dive into the red crowd to taste the hundreds of varieties of food they offer from all parts of the country, listen to some music sometimes, and watch the many people dancing and cheering with so many just being happy. We do all of this while ignoring the political propaganda around.

Now they are celebrating Songkran, and it’s like a mega-party in front of our house.

People are warm and friendly and many approach me to apologize for the inconveniences they are causing. They also offer specialties from Issan, drinks, ice coffee, etc. Even after the terrible events that happened at Phan Fah on Black Saturday, the people around my neighborhood are still friendly, happy, and mostly smiling.

Should we sit like sad victims in our apartment, complaining about the noise and the mob? Or should we stay out of our neighborhood and hope that the government sends troops to “enforce the law” and spill blood in front of our doorstep? We have chosen not to do that. Without politically joining any particular group, we are making the best out of the situation.

In one sense we have no other choice than to connect with the rally and the people when going out for food and entertainment. But we are certainly not joining the political propaganda rally – we are not wearing red.

Welcome to Ratchaprasong Resort!…

In the beginning it was more of an open street party. Now it is developing into something like an independent village in the heart of the city. People are installing themselves more comfortably, and the infrastructure is developing. The markets are getting diverse; the selection of street food is getting better by the day; the number of tents, shelters, street pharmacies, open air massage parlors and so on are increasing constantly. I even heard the red leaders calling the area “Ratchaprasong Resort”.

Sometimes I feel like I am close to crying. I like Thai people – no matter what color. When I retreat into my apartment, the positive experience of the human warmth and friendliness fills my heart and mind. If during such a moment I start thinking about the terrible but real threat of an army marching in violently, I fight hard to hold back tears. It’s an awful emotional roller-coaster.

As a foreigner I have no rights to be involved in politics in Thailand, but I still feel that I would like to help somehow. That’s why my wife and I gave pillows to needy toddlers and old people sleeping on the pavement. It’s not because we want to support the Red Shirts, it’s because we are human beings with hearts.

I regularly capture what is going on around my neighborhood, so I started a flickr account to share my photos. Please stop by.

Bernd Mechsner
flickr: Ratchaprasong
ThaiVisa: My Neighborhood Under Siege: Ratchaprason

So, am I Red, Yellow, Pink. Or Blue even?…

Thailand is awash with colour: Red, yellow, pink and blue. And as most everyone knows, on Mondays we used to watch seas of Thais heading to work wearing yellow shirts. But now the wearing of yellow is no longer seen as just supporting the King because yellow has taken on a different meaning. To some, the wearing of yellow is fighting words.

You’ve seen a lot of the colour red on this blog, so some of you might be wondering about my political leanings. I mean, I haven’t taken many photos of the Yellow Shirts. And yeah, I totally missed the Pink Shirt rally at Lumpini Park. My bad.

Well, it’s simple really. Until this weekend, the other factions haven’t been in my sights. Also, my driver is a Red Shirt (most are in Bangkok). And while he has been known to nonchalantly detour right through the Red’s stomping grounds (which is where a lot of my photos come from), he’s not about to make the mistake of visiting the opposing side.

Do I know how lame this sounds? Yes. I do. And I apologize. Seriously.

Friday, on my way home from Kao San Road, I got an opportunity for a change of colour when driving past the Pink Shirts surrounding Victory Monument.

Btw – Only expats call it Victory Monument. Thais (and taxi drivers especially) call it อนุสาวรีย์ชัยสมรภูมิ à-nú-săa-wá-ree chai sà-mŏr-rá-poom/ or อนุสาวรีย์ชัย /à-nú-săa-wá-ree chai/ for short. The monument is a great place for protestor watching (since I’ve been here it’s mostly red, but the others look to be catching on).

So here you have it. Finally. My adventure with the Pink Shirts:

Going ’round in circles with the Pink Shirts at Victory Monument…

Just look at all those cheerful people…

As we were driving slowly around Victory Monument, Khun Pissout was muttering darkly:

Do you see them? They are all rich people.
Only hundreds protest, but the press will report thousands.
Those kids, do you see them? They are students with rich parents.
Poor Thai kids can’t afford to go to Chula.
Did you see all those Chinese faces?

So, did I see Chinese faces? Or did I see Thais? Dunno. What did you see?

Khun Pissout’s comments outlined the basic resentment from the Reds (who apparently have nothing) towards the Yellows (who are supposed to have everything). Since I wrote this post, I’ve been told that his statement shows a lack of knowledge, as poor kids in Thailand can and do go to Chula on scholarship. Yeah Chula!

In response to the video, a friend mentioned translating the signs. But there really is no need as the Pink Shirts have translated their main sign into: English, German, Italian, Swedish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew and Arabic.

My personal hope? That this latest political kerfluffle will free up a Chula education for all Thai citizens. North. Central. South. All. Because until the North gains access to decent education from toddler times on up, there will be no Chula in their future.

Btw – I cruised around Khao San Road too. But what I found etched on the walls by the Red Shirts was depressing. As I’m wanting a break from sad, I’ll save it for later. Maybe Sunday. Or Monday. Or never. We’ll see.

Enjoy…

A rambling rant…

Due to the deaths in Bangkok this weekend, my time-stamped posts for Wednesday and Friday have been rescheduled for a more peaceful time. Instead, you get the below: A ramble, a sofa rant, of sorts.

But before I get into it, please let me offer condolences to those who lost family members in this weekend’s tragedy. Red, Yellow, and otherwise. Because if you’ve spent any time on WLT, you’ll know that my sympathies are with the Thai people. All Thai people.

The displays of violence – from both sides? three sides? – was deeply disturbing. It was especially so for me because I’m not into blood (which is why I bailed out of taking videos when the gathering and splattering was introduced).

Some say that even with promises of peace from both sides, the bloodshed was inevitable. And I agree. But Thais killing Thais is tough to take, no matter what.

Finally fed up and fussing…

The tension from the Red Shirts didn’t start right away with me (mid-March). But by the first week of April, I was in full seething mode. I’m sure that a part of my temper was due to the heat of the season, because it has been HOT, HOT, HOT!

But what finally set me off was listening to my favourite vendors and business owners talk about their miserable loss of revenue over this past month. Their anger is aimed at the Red Shirts, but with an odd twist. When it comes to their clients, confusion enters into it too. And after thinking about it, I understood.

Now, these particular vendors are not located in high Red Shirt zones. They are based in areas out of danger. So basically, there are Bangkok residents choosing to stay home and out of the way.

With the dramatic news being reported, living on a Bangkok sofa sort of made sense. But for most of this past month the reports were way over the top. Daily we were treated to alarming headlines, with nadda happening.

Sure, there are Red Shirt hot spots around town. But the hot spots, we know about. For those of you who don’t, it’s easy enough to get a twitter account and follow tweets tagged with #redshirt. That way, you have a better chance of discovering which breaking news is reliable, or not.

Some expats have been treating the Red Shirts as a holiday out (and it’s now Songkran, yes?) Fair enough. Others are waiting it out in the quiet. But amongst it all, there are Bangkok businesses being unnecessarily harmed.

With a little advanced planning, I’ve been able to make my way around Bangkok, doing what needs to be done: Grocery shopping, dental work, getting highlights and a cut.

And with careful thought, all without putting themselves in harms way, others can too.

Previous Red Shirt posts…

• Happy Songkran (Red Shirts) Day
• Red Shirts Yellow Shirts or Thailand?
• Red Shirts at Victory Monument

• The Red Shirts are in Bangkok. Again.
• The Red Shirts in Bangkok: The Faces of Day Two
• The Red Shirts in Bangkok: The Faces of Day Three
• The Red Shirts in Bangkok: The Faces of Day Four
• The Red Shirts in Bangkok: Thai Army goes RoboCop
• The Red Shirts: Thai Reading and Listening

Larger photos will eventually go up on: Catherine Wentworth: Photography: Red Shirts

Enjoy…