Chitlom is blocked.
Taken on April 26, 2010
The Red Shirts are supporters of the ousted former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. They have taken the streets to rally against the current government headed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, demanding that the PM dissolve parliament and hold a snap election.
The rallies have been going on for weeks now. At first, it was easy to ignore as they were only gathering in front of government offices, far from the central business districts. But the situation has made a turn for the worse as the protesters started moving into town, initially conducting car convoys that cause traffic and eventually camping out in the central business districts, paralyzing the city.
Chitlom at 8 pm, April 26, 2010
Phloen Chit at 9 am, April 27, 2010
Like many, I fear the consequences that these rallies have on the business community, and on a greater scale, the Thai economy. I've heard many stories from other expats about investors losing interest in conducting business in Thailand, drastic decline in sales in almost every industry, and small businesses struggling to stay afloat. It's a horrible nightmare that everybody wants to wake up from. But it seems that it will continue, seeing that there are no signs of both parties striking a compromise or anyone with a viable solution for the problem.
It makes me sad. I love Thailand. But the longer this political unrest goes on, I am seriously considering packing my bags and leave in search of greener pastures. Maybe just moving to the islands like Phuket or maybe moving to Singapore. Yeah... Singapore would be a nice place to move to.
