First it was the yellow shirts that began protesting against the then Thai government in June 2008. When the government they opposed were forced out of office, the yellow shirts celebrated, but that led to the emergence of the red shirts. The red shirts were angry at the way the government they had supported was removed from office in what they described as a ‘silent coup’. Now, Thailand has the ‘multi-coloured shirts’ or ‘no colour shirts’ who are demonstrating against the red shirts. It sounds like the script to a bad movie, but sadly it’s a serious issue which will almost inevitably result in more violence and loss of life as Thailand struggles to reconcile the social and political divisions in the kingdom.
Who are Thailand’s Multi-Coloured Shirts?
Last night in Bangkok there were scuffles and bottles thrown as red shirt anti-government protesters clashed with a new group who have emerged in Thailand in recent days and who have already been labelled by the Thai press as the ‘multi-coloured shirts’.
The multi-coloured shirts are those opposed to the red shirts. They are a mixture of concerned Bangkok citizens and business people who have had enough of the way the red shirts have been allowed to occupy parts of Bangkok for so long and disrupt daily life for many residents and businesses. The multi-coloured shirts have said they will launch rallies in Bangkok to counter the red shirt anti-government protests.
To make matters even more confusing, some prominent people associated with the new multi-coloured group were formerly part of the yellow shirt movement. The original yellow shirt movement were the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Earlier this week, PAD said they would give the government another week to disperse the red shirts from Bangkok before they launch counter demonstrations. PAD have said they are guarding the Thai monarchy from the threat of the red shirts who they accuse of wanting to change Thailand to a republic.
Many PAD sympathisers have already joined the multi-coloured group and there are real concerns that there will be major clashes between the red shirts and rival protesters. The Thai army is already on the streets in central areas of Bangkok with pressure mounting from all sides on the Thai government to resolve the crisis.
Related Articles:
- Thai Army Deployed in Bangkok’s Silom Area
- Army Chief Placed in Charge of Bangkok Security
- Problems Mount for Thai Government
- Thai Army Chief Calls for Political Solution
- Fatal Clashes in Bangkok
- Red Shirt Protest Moves to Central Bangkok
- Thai PM Rejects Red Shirt Ultimatum
- Red Shirts Deliver Ultimatum
- Who are the Yellow Shirts and Red Shirts?
About Thaizer