Getting up to speed.
As we prepare to cover the UDD’s mass rally in Bangkok on Sunday, we review the last Red Shirt rally in Bangkok. If you weren’t with us for coverage of the street battles last year, you may want to scroll back through the three pages of older posts or check out some of the highlights from last April, like Batman rescuing local residents or some of our exclusive photos and video.

It appears the thread containing all of our Google Earth placemarks has been removed. We will be reposting the placemarks and updating older posts as required.

Red Shirt rally in February.
On 19 February, Red Shirts rallied in front of the headquarters of Bangkok Bank, on Bangkok’s Silom Road. It was a peaceful demonstration but it forced the closure of one of Bangkok’s major arteries for an hour or so.
Southbound traffic was was blocked at the corner of Silom Road and Convent Road. Here, protesters cross the traffic barrier and head towards the head offices of Bangkok Bank.

One side of Silom Road (normally full of traffic at lunchtime) is full of red shirts as they protest outside Bangkok Bank. Protesters’ parked vehicles line the street. The mood is good. This area was the scene of a grenade attack about a week later, when grenades were thrown at the entrances of four or five (news reports vary) Bangkok Bank branches on the night of 27 February.

Thais have a magnificent ability to assemble street stalls, food carts and roving hawkers without delay at any event that attracts large numbers of people. This “small” rally was supported by several vendors offering Red Shirt paraphernalia like shirts, hats, fans and plastic hand-clappers.

Lunchtime Thailand meets in one of Bangkok’s busiest districts, as political protesters, office workers and other pedestrians mix along Silom Road.

As is usually (but not always) the case in Thailand, the bigger the party atmosphere, the better.

Enhanced security at office buildings near the rally left local office workers with fewer dining options. Here, the United Building, which houses a popular lunchtime food court, is closed during the rally.

Protesters on their way to the rally pass a mobile toilet bus.

Google Map of the Bangkok Bank head office in Silom Road.

Somyos Says Supporters Will Seek Abhisit’s Sodding Off

One could say it’s almost Pavlovian. No sooner had Thailand’s PM Abhisit called off the State of Emergency that has covered Bangkok and most surrounding regions since 12 April, than UDD leader Somyos Pruksakasem announced that thousands of doggedly determined Red Shirts would rally Saturday at Sanam Luang to reiterate their demands for Abhisit to stand down and the House to be dissolved. Oh, and they also would like very much, please, the return of “their” satellite-based television broadcaster, D-Station, which was shut down by the authorities under the State of Emergency.

It has been less than two weeks since the trouble kicked off in Bangkok on 13 April. That day was quite warm but it was not the kind of sweltering heat in which Bangkok has soaked over the last few days. Saturday is likely to be considerably more hot and humid than two weeks ago. In addition, in the days before the UDD blocked key intersections and clashed with both security forces and locals in Bangkok during Songkran, many people had already left the city to celebrate the annual festival. Bangkok will be much busier tomorrow.

There is a number of other reasons one should be wary of developments on Saturday. Authorities have been cracking down on community radio stations alleged to be supporting violent behaviour by the UDD. A number of UDD leaders have been arrested. Remaining UDD leaders, as well as former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, are being pursued (across international borders, in some cases). Former Thaksin deputy Jakrapob Penkair continues to call for the use of violent guerilla tactics (resulting in some signs of cracks in the UDD leadership).

And if that was not enough, there has been a litany of other apparent security lapses. In Pattaya, on 7 April,  UDD supporters attacked the PM’s vehicle for the first time. On 11 April, foreign leaders were dramatically evacuated by helicopter following the cancellation of a beseiged ASEAN summit. The next day in Bangkok, UDD supporters again attacked the PM’s vehicle, this time seriously injuring a number of the PM’s staff. 

Finally, the car carrying PAD co-founder Sondhi Limthongkul was attacked in Bangkok last Friday in dramatic fashion by gunmen who fired some eighty rounds from automatic weapons as well as a 40mm grenade (which, thankfully, failed to go off after landing in a bus). Despite the State of Emergency being in place and troops being posted to most key intersections, a pickup truck carrying at least three men had managed to ambush Sondhi’s car, fire dozens of rounds from automatic weapons (at least one of which used rounds supplied to the Thai Army) and a grenade, and then got away. CCTV cameras were apparently not functioning. There were no soldiers or police in the vicinity. The weapons appear to be connected to the Army.

With that in mind, it will probably be a good idea to steer clear of Sanam Luang on Saturday. Khao San Road is only about 300 meters from Sanam Luang. In fact, if this rally is at all well-attended, traffic in the area is likely to be far from ideal, so you might plan to avoid this part of Bangok on Saturday night. Even if nothing happens, traffic will still be a bummer.

View Larger Map

You can download the Google Earth placemark for Sanam Luang or the full list of relevant Google Earth placemarks is in one of our earlier posts.

News reports indicate that some UDD protesters, taking advantage of free transport provided by the government, have gone home. The bulk of the remaining red shirts has retreated to the Government House area.

There have been some sporadic clashes between troops and protesters, and between locals and protesters. In one case, troops near Mah Boon Krong Center were ambushed. One soldier was shot.

Download the Google Earth placemark for MBK Center.

Troops are advancing on the remaining mass of UDD at Government House, who have reportedly taken gas cylinders into the area.

UDD leaders have apparently said they are ready to surrender to authorities and have told  protesters to disperse.

The State of Emergency operations center has raised the possibility of the Songkran holiday being extended until Friday, 17 April. Tomorrow, Wednesday the 15th, is otherwise the last day of Songkran.

I woke up to see this yet more smoke over Ratcheviti.

Smoke billows from fires set by protesters on Ratcheviti Road near Victory Monument.