If you haven't been following recent events in Thailand, check out my Guardian clips page for the latest report on the airport stand-off in Bangkok. What is most amazing to me about this report is that not one of the stranded travellers seemed cognizant of the fact that they are witnessing a revolution. Literally. If asked about Pad (People's Alliance for Democracy), my guess is that the americans there would say it's a local housing innovation, as in, "My pad or yours?" Or maybe they'd describe one of Thai cuisine's spicier offerings. Either way, it's just hard for me to comprehend how anyone stuck there can talk about it without mentioning the history unfolding all around them.
The Pad folks have been stifling the Thai government for months, there have been some nasty demonstrations in which anti-govt activists were killed by police grenades, etc. and after the parliament decided they could only conduct business by relocating to the airport, Pad dogged them by occupying this facility as well. Persistence is 9/10's of success, as they say. The Prime Minister is due to fly in today from Peru, it remains to be seen (1) if he'll land, and (2) whether the military is going to protect him from demonstrators when he disembarks - if he does land there. Asia Times has been covering this situation as well, and today reports that although the military has been standing down, it's unclear what action it will take at the airport given there are approximately foreign 3000 ticket holders waiting there to board their flights. For the time being, police are staying cool, not wanting to kill anymore Thai's nor bring the street battles into the airport, proper. A fascinating situation both from the perspective of resistance tactics and political movements. As Asia Times' Shawn Crispin says, they have reached a point of no return. Let's hope that where they go next will bring some relief all around, including for those poor tourists who'll never understand what hit them.
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