Political Update

Last night, PAD protesters took over Suvarnabhumi International Airport shutting down all outbound flights. Inbound flights were initially allowed to land, but now the airport is effectively closed to all traffic.

When the protesters swarmed the airport, the police were unable to contain the crowd. The government called on the military to help the police to stop the protesters, but the military did not respond.

Some visitors in the airport reported protesters chanting "Fight, fight, fight". I find that a bit hilarious. First, while the PAD has its own "security" force, middle aged men and women make up a large part of the PAD protesters. They are not exactly the fighting type. Secondly, the one time the police did confront them and give them a minor fight, they cried foul and their allies decried the actions of the police.

The PAD has demanded that the government resign. The terms are not negotiable. The government must resign or they will continue their "protests"; in effect trying to shut down the country. With the police unable or unwilling to stop them, and the military sitting on the sideline, they are certainly making progress towards their goal.

I understand that I am a guest here, so when it comes to Thai politics, I really don't take sides. I usually find myself a bemused spectator. I am amazed that the PAD, who profess to love Thailand, are so willing to inflict such damage on it. Not only have they disrupted the legitimately elected government, but now they have effectively driven away tourism, a crucial source of revenue for the Thai economy. With the world economy limping along, tourism was already down from last year. The PAD's is literally preventing people from coming to Thailand. Neighboring countries are advising their citizens to stay away. This is going to have a real effect on the lives of a lot of Thais who depend on tourism.

I'm really not sure of the end game here. The PAD seems unwilling to back down. I guess that they are counting on the government to love the country more than they do. What I mean is that the PAD is willing to destroy the country, and the only way they'll stop is if the government resigns. If Thailand were the baby in the King Solomon story, the PAD would be the woman saying "give me my half".

The government isn't exactly without fault. They are pushing to amend the constitution in order to save their party from possible dissolution. They also have placed people close to deposed PM Thaksin in power, further aggravating his adversaries.

The police seem to have provided some token resistance, and the military has sat on the sidelines. Both sides have support in the police and military. The PAD and anti-government groups have support in the south of Thailand, while the government and the pro-Thaksin faction find a lot of support in Chiang Mai and the north. Bangkok is a bit of a mix, as there are people from everywhere here. Recent elections indicate that it leans towards the anti-government side, but not completely. Since the police and military leadership comes from all over the country, its natural that there is support for both sides.

There is one institution which could probably end this quickly. That institution, though, generally does not involve itself directly in the political sphere. If His Majesty asked the protesters to stop, they almost certainly would. If they refused, they would lose virtually all support except perhaps with their most devoted members.

I hope for the sake of all Thais that this ends soon and peacefully.