-- Today, (18th.), a'noon. I walked-along Rama IV. rd. from Soi T'light. towards MRT. Lumpini.
-- Just short of LUMPINI TWR., (where there was a mil'y. truck on the OUT-bound carriageway alternately b'casting. music or messages of exhortation.), I was stopped by armed soldiers and turned-back. True I saw some black smoke from burning tyres and heard a few small bangs, but surely nothing was that serious?
- Walking-back, just before MRT. Lumpini, my att'n. was caught by a small & brown carton, roughly 4 1/8".x3/4".x2 1/2". on the pavement. Picking it up I saw that originally it had contained 20x5.56.mm*. Ball M193. and came from the Royal Thai Army Ammunition Plant.
-- So I walked along S. Sathorn rd. and turned LEFT into Sathorn 1., (aka. Soi JUSMAG.),. Neither of the two mily'. piquets stopped me; in fact in the 2nd. one some young soldier with a pink towel wrapped turban-wise around his head was seated and jerking his head rhythmically to the music from his cell-'phone., we exchange glances and both laughed, as did his companions - no MORE problems, there!
-- I turned LEFT and walked-along Soi Goethe - the GOETHE INST. was CLOSED.
-- On Soi Ngam Duplee , from VINCENT'S towards Rama IV. rd. was a crowd of taxi., m/c. taxi. & tuk-tuk drivers becoming thicker the closer one approached the main rd.. A few members of the media were seen.
-- At that point a barrier-wall of tyres, about 7ft. high, was across the IN-bound carriageway. From its shelter some man carrying an hand loud-hailer was haranguing those on the other side; others, equally brave, either were throwing or using catapults, (slingshots.), to launch small bangers - say roughly 4".lg. x2".dia. - at the opposing mil'y.. Black was the dress-code's color, I saw no-one wearing red.
- The CIMB. branch on the corner had been ransacked.
- The PINNACLE HTL. was CLOSED.
- Walking back I was pulled physically against the wall, (same side as VINCENT'S.), and was told that there was a sniper in a nearby high rise bldg.. A bit farther along TV. camera toting men were photgraphing that bldg..
- HOTEL IBIS, O-HO REST'T. and a nearby 7/11. were CLOSED; the MALAYSIA HTL. was OPEN.
-- I turned RIGHT onto Soi 1., past an unmanned barrier of tyres that extended just half-way across the soi and in front of wch. was a large & white board with red & Thai writing on it.
-- By PANDANUS REST'T., at the tee-junc., someone had dumped a load of earth wch. would stop civilian vehs. but not mil'y. ones or pedestrians.
-- I turned LEFT, walked along Soi Nandha and so to BABYLON SAUNA, wch. was OPEN. I just looked-in but decided not to enter.
- In front of B'LON. Messrs RITTA's pers. were continuing to work on the high-rise, now higher than 37 stories.
-- I turned LEFT onto Soi Suan Phlu and walked along to look-at the former Immig'n. Bureau - unsurprisingly it was CLOSED.
- Turning back I turned-off down Suan Phlu soi 6 and saw that GQ. MASSAGE had been CLOSED for quite some time.

-- At the i'sect. N. Sathorn:Saladaeng I fell into conversation with one of the soldiers on duty there.
He told me that he was with a special duty & police parachute detail, recalled to duty after some17yrs. working for an hotel in HUA HIN as part of their security staff. I mentioned that I'd served in the British army for a few yrs. and was not without some slight experience of Internal Security duties, (as we called them - although, for the troops, that counted as 'Being on active service.'! Not that we rec'd, any extra pay for that privilege), and then enquired and was given to u'stand. that none of them had rec'd. any special trg. in how to handle crowds, either peaceful or riotous.

-- At the i'sect. Si Lom:Convent I was in time to see a smooth & black LandRover 'Vogue.' model drive-up - Thai registration.
A couple of navy blue uniformed men got-out and one of them opened the door to allow the passenger to alight: a tallish, (possibly 6ft. or so?), school-masterly looking type, I thought, neatly dressed in shirt & tie, and wearing glasses. Some 30 soldiers lined-up, with some he shook hands, with others he clapped comradely on the shoulder, to others he spoke - a politician to the manner born, I thought. Of course he was surrounded by a bevy of the media, whose questions he answered after his moment with the troops. While he was responding to the media a couple of young damsels who travelled with him were distributing plastic-wrapped gifts or comforts to the troops I enquired of another farang as to who he is? I was told that he's probably the Min. or Deputy Min. of Finance - another economics' grad. from a British university. My informant is Jock. from Inverness, (whence hail the: 'Four and Twenty Virgins!'), and who's working in the LoS. with some charity or other. Jock. is rabidly anti-Thaksin & red shirts. However, he did mention one valid point wch. was that no students appear to be participating in the present demonstrations - unlike previously. A point with wch. I agreed.

-- Back in the MORE homely Soi T'light. I was surrounded by the four masseurs from YELLOW MASAGE who offered me a special massage and at a special discount - an offer that I could not accept as I had but 80.Bh. with me, "Not sufficient even for a TIP.." I said regretfully.

-- 5.56mm. is approx. 0.219ins. - quite large enough to be fatal.
- Perhaps someone MORE up-to-date militarily than me would give us readers some info. on the type of gun that fires such rounds?

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