The Unrest in Bangkok

 
It appears that any tension in Bangkok Is currently simmering under the surface.  In our few days in Bangkok the only overt sign of trouble was a rather large contingent of riot police and soldiers in one small area of the city.   They were mostly sitting along the street just watching the traffic pass by.  The relative calm is a far cry from the violence that erupted in April, in which nearly ninety people were killed and over one thousand injured (according to the Bangkok Post).  We are currently in Chiang Mai, heading north to Chiang Rai, before making our way into Laos.  Eventually, we will be returning to Thailand, and passing through Bangkok again.  We hope the tension eases and a lasting solution can be found to the political and social problems in Thailand.  If you are interested in the history and the complex politics of modern Thailand, and would like to know the difference between a yellow shirt protestor and a red shirt protestor, please follow this link: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/thailand/index.html