A Continued Division

Dearest Loyal Friends & Fam,

This blog entry is comin' at you from what may be the most heavily-guarded coffee shop on the planet! As I sit sipping on my "Coca Cola Light" (a revolution-interrupted job search has left me too broke to afford the usual mocha latte...but a 20-baht can of Coke still gets me unlimited WiFi access...YES), I am astounded by the irony of my current situation. On the other side of the glass windows that encase this particular air-conditioned "Coffee World" lounge are 20 Thai soldiers with loaded guns, looking simultaneously bored and anxious as they protect the hard-working bankers on their coffee breaks. And beyond these 20 soldiers are 1,500 additional troops lining the streets of Silom, the richest business district of Bangkok that I have been calling home for the last two weeks. It seems that by moving to the part of town that represents everything the protesting Red Shirts resent about the Thai economic and social order, I have actually enlisted the automatic protection of the Thai armed forces, and am probably safer than I would be living in a less-targeted part of town. A bit of an ironic deal, no?

But let me back up just a bit to explain my move to this new part of town. My old building was located in Pratunam, an area of the city connected to the Skytrain public transport system by a 20-minute walk through a central intersection known as Ratchaprasong. Now I'm all for a nice 20-minute walk every now and then. No biggie. But there was one slight problem- Ratchaprasong has been the central rallying point for the Red Shirts for four weeks now, meaning this farang had to scurry through masses of angry protestors just to be able to meet friends for dinner or go to the movies. On one particular day, I was left stranded in the Skytrain station above my exit, unable to get down because of riot fears on the streets below. Thus, I decided it was time to pack up and get the heck away from good ol' Ratchaprasong. A friend living in Silom was kind enough to take this refugee in for a few weeks, so I made the move and have been much happier over here.

Up until the last couple days, I have been able to lead a slightly more normal existence in Silom than I could in my old neighborhood. However, the recent influx of army troops on the streets is telling of the potential for some serious stuff to go down in my new neighborhood. Like I said, Silom is home to the "Old Money" of Bangkok, a section of society that is resented by the lower-class Red Shirts. Coming home from a trip to Phuket and the island of Ko Phi Phi yesterday morning, I had to work some serious charm to get the cab driver to take me to this part of Bangkok.

"Mai dai! Seu dairng!" ("Can't do it! Red Shirts!") was his argument.
"But I live there!" was mine.

So, after a brief back-and-forth, I convinced the driver to take me home. When we rounded the corner of Lumphini Park, about five minutes from my doorstep, I saw that his worries were definitely not unfounded. The Red Shirts have barricaded a major road outside Lumphini with concrete planters, and the army has taken up position on the other side of the intersection, blocking the entrance to Silom. As we rode down the street toward my house, we were greeted by huge piles of barbed wire and even more troops with their riot-shields out and ready. The Red Shirts had publicized their intent to invade this part of town, and the army has stepped up to protect the big money of BKK. And this leads me back to the present- army troops lining the streets, ready at a moment's notice to use their weapons on any Red Shirts who would be so bold as to cross into Silom. For the moment, the Red Shirts announced that they have cancelled their plan to march into the district, but what will actually happen remains to be seen.

That's all I can really say for now- we'll see. With a death toll of 25 people, and an injury count of 600, the situation over here has definitely crossed into some serious territory. The current situation in Silom represents on a small scale the greater division of the country: on one side of the road stand the impoverished people of the country, shouting over the shields of soldiers to men in suits and ties on the other side. Hopefully the line won't need to be crossed to find a resolution.

Ending on a slightly more serious note than my usual posts, I am sending my love to all of you, wherever you're reading this from. Keep watching the news and let's hope for a quick and peaceful end to this political turmoil.

-C