Thailand

[Mr7134]

So, it looks like Thailand is on the brink of civil war.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/15/thai-death-toll-redshirts-troops

...Since the fighting began on Thursday at least 17 people have died with 147 wounded as government forces attempt to seal off the 1 sq mile (3 sq km) zone that thousands of redshirt protesters have occupied in an upmarket district of the city. The spiralling violence, which has moved from street to street over the past three days, has raised concerns that Thailand is heading towards civil war.

"The situation right now is getting closer to civil war every minute," a protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan, said. "We have to fight on. The leaders shouldn't even think about retreat when our brothers are ready to fight on."...

An interesting piece by Duncan McCargo, who is a professor of South-east Asian politics at the University of Leeds.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/duncan-mccargo-thailand-is-deeply-fractured-and-anarchy-has-come-closer-1973961.html

...Neither the pro-government royalist forces nor the anti-government pro-Thaksin forces are going away any time soon; each side is backed electorally by up to 40 per cent of the population. Only a hard-headed deal making some accommodations to Thaksin's supporters could pave the way for a return to normalcy in the Thai capital.

The shooting of rogue general Khattiya Sawasdipol, better known as Sae Daeng, was the second unsolved political assassination attempt since the latest round of anti-government protests began in Bangkok a few weeks ago...

Duncan McCargo