Pattaya, Most of Bangkok Unaffected by Protests

That’s not to say what’s happening is not significant. But, to help you understand what exactly is happening, here’s a little background:

Thailand, a constitutional democracy, is currently ruled by a coalition led by the People’s Power Party. This is the reincarnation of the former Thai Rak Thai political party led by Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed as prime minister in a peaceful coup in September 2006. The military junta stepped down in December and free elections were held. In an election that international observers called largely fair, Thailand’s people chose to re-elect the politicians from the former TRT. In January, the PPP named Samak Sundaravej – a close ally of Thaksin’s – as prime minister.

Before the coup, a group of urban professionals, conservatives and royalists formed a group strangely dubbed the “People’s Alliance for Democracy.” The PAD staged large scale protests in 2006 that finally ended with the coup. However, when Samak took office, the PAD reformed and staged two months of around-the-clock street protests in a Bangkok park. Despite its name, the PAD has no real interest in representative democracy. The group has called for large numbers of officials to be appointed, not elected. And, reflecting its upper-class roots, the PAD has literally called the lower-class, less-educated members of Thai society too ignorant to be trusted with voting for their own representatives.

Unlike 2006, the current protests are not supported by large numbers of Thais. And, as the street rallies began to lose steam, a core of eight PAD leaders decided to “up the ante” by storming a television station and taking over Government House where Samak’s office was located. The insurrection was almost universally condemned, but PAD has entrenched itself in Government House refusing to leave unless the democratically elected Samak resigned from office and the government was dissolved.

Samak, rightly most said, refused to bow to the demands of a rouge, niche group. However, he was forced to step down after losing a court case in which he was found to have broken conflict-of-interest provisions of the Constitution. While many hoped that would finally defuse the PAD protests, the PPP appointed Thakin’s brother in law as the new prime minister, angering the protest group anew.

Last week the government finally arrested two top PAD leaders. In retaliation, the group attempted to surround the parliament building. Unlike its non-violent response to the Government House siege, the government sent in police armed only with tear gas to disperse the protestors. The PAD chose to fight back with sticks, knives and the like and many were injured, some badly, by tear gas canisters fired into the crowd. The violence got worse Tuesday when a car bomb exploded near the protests, killing two people.

Protests Confined to Small Area

What’s important to remember is that all of these incidents took place within a 4-block radius in a city of 7 million people. Army personnel have been dispatched around the city to keep order, but all the troops are unarmed. Police in the protest area are also unarmed, carrying only shields to protect themselves.

Aquanauts owners and staff have themselves been to Bangkok many times over the past few weeks and seen no evidence of any strife. The subways are full, shopping malls busy, restaurants are bustling and guided temple tours seem go on as normal. Even the U.S. embassy, in an e-mail sent today, simply warns people to avoid the protest area. No advise to not visit Thailand or even “take care” in non-protest areas was included.

In Pattaya – 2.5 hours by bus from Bangkok — there’s been no interruption of life. Were it not for television, the Internet and newspapers, no one would ever know about the protests.

So, bottom line: If you’re thinking of coming to Thailand for training or pleasure, please do. Asian tourists – always more sensitive to any kind of unrest – have canceled their holidays and the Thai people are very eager and happy to have you visit. Prices have been dropping even below normal levels and once you arrive you’ll quickly learn – even more – why Thailand is called “the land of smiles.”