Update on Red Shirt Situation: Bangkok Protests Turned Violent

After a month of protests by the UDD “Red Shirt” protesters, the situation this past weekend in Bangkok came to the point of widespread violence. In the week leading up to it, protesters had stormed the parliament grounds and ThaiCom where the government had shut down the UDD party’s TV broadcast. Both of these confrontations were tense and offered a bit of aggression, damages and injuries, but one side or the other had backed down.

Not so this last weekend. The tear gas came out, as did rubber bullets, and sadly, live ammunition. Soldiers attempted to clear protesters out from some key areas and Red Shirts fought back. (See these blogs from travel writers who were in the heart of the action: Jodi of Legal Nomads and Richard of My Thailand Blog.)

In the end over 840 people were sent to hospitals with injuries including over 250 soldiers and police according to Daily News (Thai). 21 died, 4 of them soldiers and one of them a Japanese photographer from Reuters. At least 10 of the protesters and 3 of the soldiers were killed by bullets, one protester suffered a heart attack.

The New York Times ran an article with a photo of a Red Shirt carrying an AK-47, and reports and video of M-79 grenades and gas canisters rigged to explode show that both sides have muscled up the violence. The situation ended in a sort of truce but Red Shirt leadership stated they will no longer negotiate with the government in their quest for dissolution of parliament and new elections. Red Shirts took three of their dead from the hospitals and brought them up on stage wrapped in Thai flags. The Prime Minister came on TV at midnight but showed no signs of budging.

On Monday, Red Shirts took to the streets to parade the (empty) coffins of their casualties through Bangkok’s streets. At one point they occupied both directions of Sukhumvit Road, one of Bangkok’s most important thoroughfares, as they made their way to Sukhumvit Soi 31, the side street where the Prime Minister’s residence is located.

Red Shirt protester hands out graphic photos of dead protester. Photo by Kevin Revolinski

One of the most gruesome Red Shirt casualties lost the top of his skull and Red Shirt protesters following the parade route handed out copies of an explicit photo to onlookers. I declined to accept it but got a clear look anyway. An important colonel suffered a similar death on Saturday night when a grenade was thrown toward him during the clashes. Recent news reports indicate he had been marked by a laser pointer just before the attack but no one knows for sure who had singled him out.

Then Thailand’s Election Commission held a press conference to request that the Constitution Court dissolve Prime Minister Abhisit’s Democrat Party adding a new twist to the whole mess. The best blog to follow for play-by-play as these politics unfold is Bangkok Pundit. Search #RedShirt on Twitter as well for the chatter, pics and circulating YouTube clips.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Nahabedian (@Eloren) who was also caught in the middle of the Saturday chaos.

Monday ended with the truce still intact, most of the shopping malls reopened (except Central World) and security forces standoffish while Red Shirts continued to gather. SkyTrain stations have all been reopened but partially closed gates suggest they are prepared to close them quickly should situations warrant it. Though Songkran has been officially canceled some tourists and locals were nevertheless out for a bit of water throwing. Here’s hoping the mai pen rai attitude (don’t worry/never mind/it’s OK) of the Thai carries all safely and peacefully through the New Year holiday and beyond.