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Published: November 28th 2008
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Scene at Airport
Remember when the worst airport experience you could suffer was losing a bag? We've received a few e-mails asking about the Thai portion of our trip. In case you haven't heard, the airports in Bangkok are completely closed and as anyone flying to Thailand has to pass through Bangkok to get anywhere in-country, Thailand is essentially closed to air travelers trying to get in or out. We are scheduled to fly into Bangkok on December 4.
When this situation began a few days ago we thought it might only last a few days more. We now suspect that it could last for weeks. The whole thing started when Thailand decided to have a democratically elected government. One person/ one vote sort of thing. Prior to that the government was appointed by a Bangkok aristocracy made up of business leaders and the military. The first democratic election produced a guy by the name of Thaksin. Friend of the poor, enemy of the rich and so on. The rich folks couldn't stand for that sort of thing so they had the military do a coup forcing Thaksin out. After a year of military leadership they held another democratic election and surprise, surprise they elected another guy just like the first guy. Friend of the poor,
The Pro-Government Crowd
Never underestimate the power of poor people in large numbers. enemy of the rich and so on. The aristocracy came to the conclusion that they weren't EVER going to be able to win these elections what with all of these poor people voting so they established and financed a group of activists called PAD to muck things up and to be a general pain in the ass for the sitting government. They want to throw out free elections and to have the members of Parliament appointed instead of elected. That way the rich folks could take back the political power that they felt they so richly deserved. The PAD people all wear yellow shirts and are quietly supported by the military who would love to see the current government overthrown but don't have the testicular fortitude to do another coup because they just overthrew the government a couple of years ago and doing it twice in a decade just doesn't look good to the outside world. So the yellow shirted PAD people starting in August sat around the Parliament for days on end eating Pad Thai and yelling at people. After a few months they discovered that they just weren't getting the press coverage that they used to and the
What Not To Do
The airport is not the place to be hanging out at right now. Thai people in general didn't give a rodent's rear about the yellow shirt issues. In fact, people began throwing stuff at the yellow shirts. Things like trash and rocks and bombs. Instead of giving up the fight the yellow shirts (by the way, who is financing these guys?) hired some muscle much like the US labor unions used to do in the old days to beat up scabs. These thugs came up with the brilliant idea of shutting down the airports in Bangkok. Boy are they getting some press now!
On the other side of things the government's supporters wear red shirts and there are a lot of these people. They live in the rural areas outside of Bangkok and there are millions of them. They have told the government to clean up the protesters at the airport or the red shirt crowd will take matters into their own hands. Today the Thai government ordered the yellow shirts to leave the airport (Which they will not do. Hell they've been hauling in food and equipment for the past three days and they be ready to PARTY HARD!) or the government will send in the police to clear the area. The question is what will the military do? Will they stay in their barracks like good boys? Will they come to the assistance of the yellow shirts? Or will they take over the current government, public opinion be damned? You gotta wonder. In the meantime if you are in Bangkok throw all of your red and yellow clothing away. Wearing these colors in town can lead to some serious and up-close personal contact with the Thais. The thug weapons of choice seem to be clubs and three foot lengths of metal re-bar.
In the meantime feeble-minded tourists are sitting around Bangkok waiting in vain for the airports to re-open when what they should be doing is getting their asses on a southbound train to Malaysia or Singapore where there are flights home. If the government fails to clear the airport protesters and the red shirts start pouring into Bangkok to do battle, tourists will want to be far, far away from that situation. Add some armored vehicles to the mix and it could get downright exciting.
Karen and I have decided to 'delay' the Thai portion of our journey and are going to Vietnam first. It looks like we will be landing in Hanoi first. People still wishing to enter Thailand can do so easily by rail from the south. There is also a boat that travels the Mekong River from Luan Probong in Laos. Our concern is that the train station in Bangkok may be closed down and then what do you do? Reports are that German tour companies are canceling all trips to Thailand. The Thai seat of government has been moved to Chiang Mai in the North where the red shirts rule. The airports in Phuket and Chiang Mai remain open at this time.
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Pick
non-member comment
Excellent !!!
Mikey, I'm so proud of you. I just knew you'd grow up to be something great. Who'd a thunk it?My lil buddy...a blogger ! Seriously Mike,this is first class.Very interesting and well done. I look forward to the next installment in the continuing adventures of Team Richards.Keep up the good work and God speed. Love You Guys, Pick