Elections are Almost Here

Seems like I can´t walk by a store, news stand, or restaurant these days without hearing or seeing something about the upcoming election. No, I´m not talking about 2012 in the US. I´m talking about July 3rd, 2011 in Thailand. The election here is less than a week away, and it has some pretty big implications in what it can mean for the future of Thailand.

This is the first major election since last year´s riots and attempted overthrow of the government by the UDD. There are so many factors at play here that things are bound to get interesting. This particular election was supposed to happen back in November 2010, but has been postponed multiple times due to unrest and violence. I vividly remember last year´s chaos as we endured riots, bombings, shootings, national curfews, and military patrolling the streets. I will never forget the day I heard the helicopters come roaring in and watched the massive column of black smoke rising from the east end of the city. See original post Hopefully we wont see anything like that again.

Things are feeling a little bit tense here, but everything is just under the surface. Allegations of vote buying and corruption have already begun, and international election observers are being allowed in to monitor the process to a limited degree. Some say that we are on the edge of another coup, but others are saying that the whole thing will blow over without a whimper. There are several ways that this whole thing could go, and I won´t even speculate as to how things might turn out. The entire country is very divided. As they say ¨Ha-sip Ha-sip¨ (50-50).

The military has a great deal of influence and power here and have the ability to overthrow the government like they did back in 2006. It was in 2006 that they performed a military coup. They canceled elections, threw out the current constitution, ousted parliament, arrested cabinet members, and imposed martial law throughout the country. The current military leaders have promised to stay out of the election process this time. Hopefully things will proceed with cool heads and defy the odds. I am already hearing reports of military tanks in the streets over in the northeast, and there has been a pretty heavy presence in the air and on the ground both here and in surrounding provinces.

Chaos comes to Chiang Mai

Until this week, I can honestly say that I had never set foot into anything that could be described as a war zone. Wednesday afternoon, I took a quick break from work and stepped outside when I heard the sound of helicopters overhead. I was greeted with the sight of two government choppers circling to the east and a large plume of black smoke rising from the same direction. I soon learned that UDD forces had seized Warorot bridge and begun burning everything in sight. The crisis was short lived and the military quickly took control of the bridge. A visit to the area later in the evening was almost heart breaking. This is an area that I had walked through many times. It is a rather scenic bridge with many flowers and a great view of the river. The view that night was one of devestation and carnage. Heaps of twisted metal that once formed the makeshift blockade, smoldering piles of burning tires and rubbish, burned out vehicles just sitting there still half engulfed in flames, and the remnants of the many flowerpots that once lined the edges of the bridge strewn over the road shattered into bits. Strangely, we were allowed to make our way through the scene without any trouble, but approaching the bridge we were met with a full military blockade with rows of soldiers sporting full riot gear, M-16s, and shotguns. Needless to say, we didn't venture much further.

For now things have quieted down and the city has been under a full nightime curfew for the last few days. Even the 7-Elevens close at 9pm. It's so quiet that it's almost creepy. We all just keep watching and waiting, but hopefully the worst has passed.