Bangkok in aftershock

James Burke and Namfa Artjai

During the first month of the red shirt anti-government protests in Bangkok, many of the small mini-busses ferrying commuters through the city』s inner roads flew red flags from radio aerials in a show of support for the anti-government demonstrations.

As the protests continued unabated, revealing a more violent characteristic, the red flags became fewer and after a group of protesters rampaged through a hospital they were no where to be seen.

「Some of the drivers who were supportive began to think the red shirts had gone too far,」 said Wahsht Junbut, a 39-year-old, mini-bus driver.

In the aftershocks of the worst political violence in Thailand』s modern history which has left over 80 people (mostly civilians) dead Mr Wahsht said: 「At this moment it will be difficult for the Thai people to be one, it will take time to heal.」

After days of street fighting between the Thai military and the red shirts, the army on Wednesday May 19 stormed the protester』s fortified encampment that was established in one of Bangkok』s high-end retail areas. While their leaders surrendered early that afternoon, rioting red shirts set fire to over 30 buildings through the city.

As he drove towards one of the city areas officially designated a disaster zone, taxi driver Kiattisak Csanongwa said he was saddened that his own countrymen would burn down so many buildings.

「People shouldn』t do this just because others have different opinions and thoughts,」 said Mr Kiattisak who drives a Bangkok taxi to support his family in north-eastern Thailand, the region where many of the red shirt protesters originate from.

「A lot of things need resolving, the people who have been protesting have grievances and the government needs to address theses issues for why they feel wronged,」 he said.

「Before people can live well together talking needs to begin and a reconciliation process needs to take place and the government must try and sort this mess out.」

「Firing real bullets」

Living in a small street off Rama IV Road, studio photographer Chuart Klongpubsuk was holed-up in his house for days with protesters setting up a tire barricade at the end of his street opposite an eight story government building.

「People in this street are scared they will come back,」 said Mr Chuart. 「Gangs of protesters drove around on motorbikes with clubs and knives,」 he said. 「They made threats they would burn the area down.」

「Four men threw two bombs into the government building and when the fire trucks came they threatened them with guns,」 he said.

「I don』t mind people protesting, they have their views and I have mine, but now they are violent and destroy things; that is not right.」

The building was completely gutted by the fire.

Further down Rama IV Road, near what is usually a busy intersection, a group of distraught women with children lingered at the alleyway entrance to a poverty stricken neighbourhood. One of the women said she was still too shocked to talk about her experiences while the eldest woman (who preferred not to give her name) said she still supported the red shirt movement and attended their rallies. Most of the poor people in her area she said supported the red shirts.

「I am not happy with what the government did. The army came in here too hard, just shooting, shooting – firing real bullets,」 she said. 「People were getting shot all the time. Every hour someone was shot,」 she said. When the shooting ceased she said they collected a bag full of used bullet shells from the road, but it was later confiscated by the police.

The woman who chose to remain silent then spoke up as she walked past: 「They shot them, they only had firecrackers.」

Clean up

Three kilometres away one of the many workers cleaning up the remains of the protesters』 vast encampment picked up a discarded red cooking apron emblazoned with the image of exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who the government accuses of masterminding the protester violence and anarchy.

Up ahead soldiers pulled down the last pieces of scaffolding at the stage where speeches from the UDD leaders hatefully condemned Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva』s Government as being a mere front for the military and elite establishment.

The red shirts had held this area since April 5 in a bid to force Prime Minister Abhisit to dissolve parliament and call an early election.

At the back of the stage local media took photos of a plastic bag that contained a half dozen home made bombs. The government say they found a vast array of arms and explosives at the site.

Around the stage are some of the high-end shopping malls that hard core protesters fire bombed; one of them is South-East Asia』s second largest department store. It is totally destroyed.

Outside the burnt out remains of a movie theatre and a collection of blackened small retail shops, Sirinapa Ponyaprachum, a middle-aged woman salvaged items from her brother』s damaged clothing store.

「The red shirts want to fight but we don』t need these problems. I didn』t expect their protest to finish like this. I did not think Thais would do this type of thing,」 said Ms Sirinapa.

From the front of a nearby temple hung several banners erected by the Buddhist monks with one reading in part: 「This area is for compassion and forgiveness.」

On the evening of the military』s attack the thousand plus protesters seeking shelter in the temple came under heavy fire and six people were killed. The authorities deny Thai troops did the shootings while the protesters inside differ.

The leading English language paper on Monday May 24 made no mention of the temple killings in its editorial, instead focussing more on how thousands of volunteers united with council workers to help clean up the affected parts of the Thai capital.