While I was in Thailand in March 2006, a political crisis was underway, with ground zero in Bangkok.
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a beloved king, a parliament, a prime minister, a strong military, and a history of coups. The Prime Minister Thaksin had been accused of corruption, graft, and cronyism by the opposing parties, and they wanted nothing less than Thaksin to step down, which of course, he refused to do. To diffuse the situation, Thaksin called a snap election. The opposing parties refused to partake in the polls, which could have lead to constitutional mess, with some parliament seats possibly remaining vacant. While we were passengers in a taxi we saw a peaceful rally off to the side of the road in an outdoor venue with a stage. Many such rallies had been going on, some very large; one rally had a hundred thousand-plus people take to the streets. The only violence that occured while I was there was a bomb exploding outside the residence of a general which injured a few people, including a tourist. This happened in Bangkok while I was in Chiang Mai. Rural voters supported Thaksin while urban voters did not.
Thaksin "won" the election in April, but has since stepped down from power, although this situation doesn't look resolved as of this writing. I'll update as required.
Ken Austin at a roadside coffee stall beside the college where he works in Bangkok.
An elephant in the Arabian District near the Nana skytrain station. Our tradition was to eat at a roadside shawarma stand, where this photo was taken. The traffic noise, mobs of people, and blaring speakers add up to a strange and almost overwhelming sensory experience.
Chinatown in Bangkok has endless market stalls crowded into narrow stretches of lanes and alleys. We walked from Chinatown to Khao San Road, a fair distance in the heat.
Ken Austin beside one of Bangkok's canals.