Friday, May 14, 2010

Bangkok Blitz

It's finally showdown between the Red Shirts and the army. The latter have moved in to tighten the noose around the protesters who've been occupying strategic intersections in downtown Bangkok for two months now. As they were starting to do so, Seh Daeng, the Red Shirts' so-called military commander was shot in the head talking to a journalist.

We've shut down the British Council office and the girls' school is closed too, so we've spent today at home, keeping a close watch on the TV and online. The morning was actually quiet enough for us to attempt to pop out to our local cafe round the corner but just as we were about to turn into the street we heard gunshots so the guards ushered us back in. Since then there have been skirmishes all around the city centre, including 200m away at the end of our street where it meets Rama IV Road. We can hear gunshots, explosions, sirens, occasionally whooping from what are probably large crowds. We're staying put. (The photo above is from the street alongside Lumphini Park about 1km from us; I didn't take it!)

3 comments:

  1. Yes. Stay put.
    Just been looking at the BBC news site - doesn't look great at the moment. The situation seems to be very unclear as to what is actually happening.

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  2. Stay put. Sound advice. Thankfully were out of ear-shot of guns and explosions which in a way makes it weirder, knowing that 2km down the road there's all kinds of mayhem while we potter about the apartment as usual.

    Maybe see you Monday.

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