Red Shirts Postpone Bangkok Rally
The anti-government protests that were due to take place this weekend in Bangkok have been postponed. The announcement came from red shirt leaders after they had discussed the issue with Thaksin Shinawatra who had advised that the timing of the protest was inappropriate.
The real reasons for the postponement are open to interpretation. Many red shirt supporters didn’t agree with the rally being held in the lead up to birthday celebrations for His Majesty the King. This in turn could have led to a low turnout which would have weakened the red shirt position and led to a serious loss of face. There is also the issue of the government invoking the Internal Security Act to deal with the rally. Added to this, there is the court case dealing with Thaksin’s frozen assets. It’s possible that the Thaksin court case may have been the initial motivation behind the timing of the rally with the court due to give its verdict in early December. It’s now thought that the verdict won’t be announced until January.
As is the case with politics, there has been spin from both sides of the political divide and it’s quite possible that various deals and agreements have been reached behind the scenes. Either way, the news will be warmly welcomed by all involved in the Thai tourist industry as the kingdom enters the high season for visitor arrivals.
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