Sunday, May 16, 2010

Red Shirt Rally Day 66: Uncertainty

The government has declared Monday and Tuesday "public holidays."

Since Seh Daeng was shot Thursday night, the violence has escalated; more people have died and hundreds more injured. The uncertainty about what will happen next has caused the postponement of the first day of school for Thai students from May 17 to June 1st. The international schools which follow the British/American school year are closed on Monday.

I got an SMS from a friend today, warning me to stay away from department stores and malls in certain parts of the city.  To create confusion, the SMS said, there are going to be grenade attacks in areas outside the Rajaprasong conflict zone. She didn't say who originated the SMS or where; it was a forwarded message. That just shows how hard it has become to separate fact from rumor, disinformation from the truth.

The government's waffling hasn't helped either. From setting emergency decrees that are largely ignored by their own people to threatening to enforce a curfew then backing off, it's hard to say that the leadership knows what it is doing. The overall impression is that it is as chaotic in the 11th army camp, where the PM  has  barricaded himself,  as it is around the Red Shirt barricades.

No comments:

Post a Comment