Thai Army clears Bangkok of Red Shirts during Songkran

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.

สงกรานต์ Songkran (Thai New Year)
สงคราม Songkram (war)

On 13 April, the first day of the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations red shirted members of the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship's (UDD) were cleared from the streets by the Thai army. It was a climatic end after red shirts rallied en mass in Bangkok for what was called the final battle.

A day traditionally celebrated with water fights instead saw mass rioting as supporters of the ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted during the 2006 coup, took over further portions of central Bangkok erecting barricades. Clashes with the military and local residents erupted as martial law was declared.

The rioting had been long fuelled by anger over the removal of the democratically elected pro-Thaksin government after almost unobstructed protests by yellow shirts of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) the previous year.

There is a sense of red shirt rage for having their political voice squashed by the traditional ruling elites. Likewise the violent aggressiveness of the red shirts' current actions, as opposed to the yellow shirts calculated, passive strategies, tinge of desperation of the politically disadvantaged.
Their previous play in this game of political manoeuvring was to storm and disrupt the ASEAN summit in Pattaya a few days prior. The bid to gain regional sympathy instead attracted widespread condemnation.

In Bangkok red shirts hijacked local buses, rigging them with gas cylinders and setting some on fire or threatening to blow them up if attacked. This caused retaliatory scuffles with local residents.

Perhaps a move to grab media attention, if followed through it would have invariably been to the disadvantage of their own image.

Thai Army commanders saw it as an act by the UDD leadership to trigger widespread death if the soldiers were to fire into the crowds of red shirts and hit one of the canisters. The UDD seems to wish to generate the leverage the yellow shirt protests did and so it is argued they may be desperately seeking similar sensation to that caused after Thai police used faulty Chinese CS gas grenades that dismembered two yellow shirts the previous year.

The Thai army, however, seemed to have learnt from its past and conducted itself firmly yet cautiously. Soldiers cleared the streets methodically by advancing shield walls whilst firing into the air to frighten and disperse the protesters.

Live ammunition was present and used but only as warning shots into the air. When the red shirts used a hijacked bus to attempt to ram the soldiers did the soldiers only then shoot directly as an act of self-defence.

Even then the soldiers aimed at the wheels of the bus when the most effective means for immobilizing a vehicle is to shoot the driver. CS gas was distributed but despite the red shirts use of stones and petrol bombs, was not used for concerns of large clouds of the gas drifting into neighbouring houses.

There were still some signs of the festivities with the odd soldier having the traditional white chalky paste smeared on his face by local residents, and bored soldiers splashing each other with water from their canteens.

Cleared streets were held while patrols swept through remaining areas. Local residents showed mixed reactions. Angered by the chaos the red shirts had brought, many pointed out there they had gone whilst other shouted in anger or applauded the soldiers.

At one stage two of the armoured personnel carriers were used to zealously charge down the street in pursuit of scattering red shirts as the soldiers behind struggled to keep up. It was a scene reminiscent from times gone by of Siamese war elephants charging into battle.

It seemed to however stir up the hornets’ nest and increase the rate of petrol bombs and stones being thrown. Despite this the soldiers kept good order under calm commanders and showed a high level of competency for the job.

Many were young and filled with a mixture of fear and adrenaline clearly express on their faces. This was demonstrated when at one point a pink shirted red shirt swaggered out to throw a hefty rock that struck a soldier on the helmet still causing injury. In response the soldiers comrades charged in angry pursuit of the man and leaping upon him like a pack of banshees.

With the close of the day, and another chapter in Thailand’s war of colours drawing to a close, the local residents came out to clean up their streets and bring back a sense of normality.

Ultimately, the uncompromising rigidity of both yellow and red camps and the lack of discourse towards finding that 'middle path' and a political solution leaves a lingering feeling that although order has been restored for now, it will not be long until political unrest breaks out onto the streets of Thailand once again.