Riding in to Bangkok, I was a little apprehensive because I'd read that they were getting a little crazy, and several people had been killed by mobs hired by the opposition party leaders. I didn't know what to expect; would I be dodging tear gas the whole way into the city, or would the protests be confined to one little pocket of mayhem? It turns out the reality of the situation was pretty interesting. The low-down: Thailand's had this one political party in power for a long time now, and recently, before elections were held, the opposition party accused it of staying in power through corruption, and declared any elections invalid unless there was election reform first. Depending on who you talk to, either the in-power party is completely corrupt, and the opposition party is doing the nation a great service by blocking elections, or both parties are completely corrupt, and the opposition party is just angry because they know they can't win a fair election, so have to resort to this kind of protest shenanigans. I have no way of knowing the truth of the matter, but after two weeks hanging out in BKK, it became clear to me that "protests" aren't necessarily what you might expect here in Thailand.
Probably the most extreme thing seen were these "hate walls" where people posted photos of the political leaders they were opposed to, scratched out their eyes, and wrote antagonistic messages.
For the most part though, the protests consisted of hundreds of people camping in the middle of the street, which meant that large swaths of BKK's main thoroughfares were closed down. This was actually nice for me, because it meant that instead of dodging cars and buses when traveling about, I was just walking through pedestrianized protest zones.
At many of the larger sites, there were stages set up, alternating between impassioned anti-government orators, and rock music performances. Most of the time the ambiance was that of a festival, with people sitting on blankets in the street, plenty of protest paraphanelia on sale, and generally everyone just minding their own business.
Of course, then again, there were reminders that this was an actual protest. I rode through this protest zone daily, and every day except this one, it was super peaceful, with old ladies napping in their chairs, people sitting around talking, and even free food! Until one day I was riding back to my guesthouse and happened upon this battered bulldozer, which had been destroyed in a clash with the police just a couple hours prior.
I think as a foreigner, you'd have to try really hard to get caught up in a violent protest here in BKK. Who knows how long people will be camping in the street and what not, or whether they'll have any long-term effect, but I think it's safe to say that western media coverage of the issue is a bit blown out of proportion at the moment.
Probably the most extreme thing seen were these "hate walls" where people posted photos of the political leaders they were opposed to, scratched out their eyes, and wrote antagonistic messages.
For the most part though, the protests consisted of hundreds of people camping in the middle of the street, which meant that large swaths of BKK's main thoroughfares were closed down. This was actually nice for me, because it meant that instead of dodging cars and buses when traveling about, I was just walking through pedestrianized protest zones.
At many of the larger sites, there were stages set up, alternating between impassioned anti-government orators, and rock music performances. Most of the time the ambiance was that of a festival, with people sitting on blankets in the street, plenty of protest paraphanelia on sale, and generally everyone just minding their own business.
Of course, then again, there were reminders that this was an actual protest. I rode through this protest zone daily, and every day except this one, it was super peaceful, with old ladies napping in their chairs, people sitting around talking, and even free food! Until one day I was riding back to my guesthouse and happened upon this battered bulldozer, which had been destroyed in a clash with the police just a couple hours prior.
I think as a foreigner, you'd have to try really hard to get caught up in a violent protest here in BKK. Who knows how long people will be camping in the street and what not, or whether they'll have any long-term effect, but I think it's safe to say that western media coverage of the issue is a bit blown out of proportion at the moment.
