Tension In Thailand

After coming to a complete standstill for a week, as red shirt protesters went head to head with government controlled armed forces, Bangkok and Thailand are attempting to go back to business as usual.

Offices, schools and businesses have reopened in Bangkok, days after a violent end to weeks of protests. At least 85 people are known to have died in the protests and the military response to them, while hundreds more were left injured. The Thai government still faces tough challenges of healing the wounds caused by political unrest, and restoring the country’s social and economic order.

Opposition lawmakers have filed a motion to impeach Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and several other ministers over their handling of the crisis. But the motion was expected to be defeated, as the prime minister’s coalition has a majority in parliament. A night-time curfew, from 23:00 to 04:00 local time, remains in force in Bangkok and 23 provinces, with the government announcing today that it has been extended for seven days.

The government had responded to protester calls for an election by saying one could be held in November, but talks between the two sides broke down. The red shirts were demanding the resignation of Mr Abhisit, while most of the protesters support prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.

I must admit I personally know very little of this conflict. The first I heard about it was when one of my friends arrived home early from travelling, after his insurance company told him they would no longer insure him if he boarded his flight to Bankok due to the crisis there. Many more with flights to Thailand were forced to cancel their travels over the past weeks due to the threat of violence. Hopefully things are calming down again now so it should soon be safe to travel again.