Looking on the bright side (and the selfish one), maybe Europe will be affordable to an American again in the near future.

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-- Two items of possibly GOOD NEWS! -
1.- Y'day. an unattributed source within the Nation Gp. reported that after performing rites for the dead the UDD. would be expected to start dismantling their defences and to start the trek back to their home-country on 12 may.
2.- Today's, (O8th.], headlines in the BKK. Post. 'paper.: 'Reds back Abhisit's road map.'.
- But reading further on into the article both the PAD. - (the gp. that illegally occupied S'bhumi. Int'l. Airport not too long ago, and who still have not been brought to Justice!], - and Dr. Tul's No-color party are opposing this road-map for their own reasons.

-- While one, or even two swallows, might not make a summer possibly: 'Hope springs eternal in the human breast.'?

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is it true there was a bomb blast yday which killed two policemen?

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Newspapers say that on Saturday one drive-by shooting killed one policeman and injured a few other persons in Silom Road between Sala Daeng station and Bangkok Bank, and a grenade tossed from somewhere near Sala Daeng intersection killed a policeman and caused other injuries at entrance to Lumpini Park.

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-- Reportedly, at approx. 22.45.hrs. or thereaouts, 1 policeperson was shot in the stomach and killed, two other policepersons were injured as were a couple of civilians.
- Then, approx. 3hrs. later, a grenade was fired into the UDD. encampment in the gen'l. area of the KRVI. statue.
- A BBC. Radio 3. news' b'cast. at 07.oo.hrs.GMT. reported that two policepersons were killed in this a/m. event.

-- Today,(08th.), forenoon tee rak & I walked past the scene on tnn. Si Lom: apart from AU BON PAIN the rest of the ZUELIG BLDG's. frontage was barricaded-off, the KRUNG THAI BANK had one window shattered. Some score or so of riot-clad police were sitting-down in a relaxed fashion o'side..
- An INCREASED police presence o'side. the former ROBINSON's store.

-- An official spokesperson was reported as saying that gen'l. security would be INCREASED; but with both the PM. & the UDD. so firmly committed to the road-plan this latest incident would not derail it.

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-- Today, (O8th.], evening tee rak & I went for a walk in LUMPINI PK.;
- We entered by MRT. ent'ce./exit#1., where a red shirt traffic marshal was controlling the tfc's. flow quite efficiently; we entered the pk. by Gate #4., (behind the KRVI. statue.],.
- Queues were forming-up for the evening's issue of supper: a std. sized p'styrene. container of meat, rice & some veggies.
- Inside the pk. we noted that the police had taken-over the LUMPINI YOUTH CENTRE; but police & red shirts seemed to be co-exisiting quite amicably within the pk. itself.
- Only a few joggers; swimming pool OPEN; people playing tennis on the nearby courts; no aerobics gps. seen.
- We went-out of the pk. by Gate #5. and walked along R'damri. rd. until the barrier compelled us to re-enter the main part of the red shirts' encampment and to go-out as we had entered.
-- Although we saw a few people sweeping-up, and quite a few black & plastic garbage bags put-out, there were still many piles of garbage just swept-up loosely and left in situ. Equally, on entering the pk. proper one could not help but be aware of the strong smell of urine. The red shirts should concentrate on a bit MORE camp-hygiene - there are MORE than enough of them doing nothing in particular who could be MORE usefully employed. Equally, they might regain some public good-will by cleaning-up their own & others' garbage etc. etc. inside the pk. itself.

-- Looking at the generality of the red shirts' faces, body language and suchlike I was not all that struck by an o'all. sense of HIGH morale & purpose - rather a certain amt. of lethargy, hum-drum resignation & acceptance of whatever the future might hold and bring.
- The leaders' rhetoric might still be being played full-blast on the large screens, but we noticed that many people, instead of listening & watching transfixed by the oratory, prefered to lie-back and indulge in relaxation & rest.

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-- Today, (12th.), forenoon and walking along soi Than Tawan/Silom 6 I saw no soldiers until I walked-by CP. TWR. wch. had a couple of armed soldiers at either end; outside SILCOM. was a piquet of approx. 18 or so mixed riot-police & soldiers all sitting-down along the kerb-side. However, along soi Than Tawan the two sand-bagged pos'ns. are in place still and coils of razor-wire are coiled-up and ready for use, if req'd.. Along tnn. Si Lom the coil of razor wire across the side-walk on the SILCOM. side & by the BTS. escalator has been pulled-back to allow free passage along the side-walk, but that o'side. SILCOM. is in place, still.
-- Two mil'y. vehs., the smaller with red crosses on it, in the MANGO TREE car-park; another & larger mil'y. truck o'side. SILCOM.

-- Walking-back around 12.30.hrs. no tps seen in tnn. Thaniya and none along tnn. Suriwong.

-- Glamcing out of the corner of my eye at today's BKK. Post. 'paper's. headline I read: Irked PM. says: Rally ends today..
- The CRES. has announced that after midnight today it will cut-off power & water to the R'PRASONG. AREA; access for rd. vehs.will be denied - hence a blockade of that area. (source: > The Baht Stop < .),.

-- E&OE.. --

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In Pattaya Jomtien the little fishing boats that have been flying red flags for the last few weeks have reverted to the the traditional thai flag.

Meanwhile Jomtien beach is DEAD ! There's more people moving in the local cemetary. The blue chairs today completely empty and only a handful of farangs in the other colours. The only thai boys seen today were "handbags" for farang friends. Never seen it so quiet.

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- Today, 13th, at approx. 18.3O.hrs., I took the BTS. from On Nut, (E9.], where both printed and oral announcements info'd. us PAX. that BTS. Ploen Chit, Chit Lom, Siam & R'damri. stns. were CLOSED; usual apologies etc. etc..
I detrained at BTs. R'thewi., (N1.], and walked-back.
- At the side ent'ce. to SIAM DISC'Y. CNTR. a small scuffle as some man wearing. a [COLOR = "SeaGreen"] green & knitted hat [/ COLOR]. tried to force his way IN and was being restrained by IN-house gds.; riot-police siting nearby disregarded that.
- Basically from the start of the red shirts' encampment at SDC. all the way to the R'damri.: Rama IV. i'sect. plenty of people walking hither & yon - nottoo purposefully for many of them, possibly MORE as something to do, I thought; but from time-to-time small gps. of men, with many wearing m/c. crash-helmets & carrying either batons or staves were walking either towards the R'prasong. i'sect. or away from it & towards tnn. Rama IV., (wch. put me in mind of The Grand Old Duke of York, ...!].
- I was struck by the gen'l. & pervasive. smell of urine, pools of water on the gd. & piles of rubbish, especially o'side. the POLICE GEN'L. HOSP'L. at R'prasong; an o'all. lack of public hygiene.
- Street-lighting along tnn. R'damri. turned-off.
- Several large screens shewing red shirts' orators speaking and, in one case, singing; but v. few people watching, although one could not help but hear what. was being said.
- Every so often barriers ready to be drawn across tnn. R'damri., with mostly black clad gds. at hand, that became MORE noticeable the closer I approached. the ent'ce./exit. by MRT. Silom; quite often I was taken by the hand & conducted along the way; the word Farang serving to act as an 'Open, sesame.' and to get me through the barriers until I was on tnn. Rama IV ..
- Little if any rd.-tfc. in the area of the DUSIT THANI HTL ..
- MRT.Silom CLOSED; tee rak info'd. me that MRT. Lumpini & Sam Yan were CLOSED, too.
- No police or mil'y. seen in the gen'l. area of the DT. HTL. & o'side. the former ROBINSON'S; although three Black Marias were parked o'side. the ZUELIG. Bldg ..
- Along tnn. Si Lom. [COLOR = "Orange"] orange colored & plastic barriers [/ COLOR]. across the rd. by Tnn. Saladaeng. Similar barriers at intervals across both carriage-ways father along; a greater & armed mil'y. presence farther along, too.
- Most of the shops along tnn. Si Lom were CLOSED, although Pizza Hut & 7/11. were OPEN.
- Silom 4. was dark; P. Pong 1 night mkt's. stalls. were. being taken-down as were all of the poor but honest side-walk vendors' stalls along tnn. Si Lom; P. Pong 2 at its Silom end was dark but appeared to be in business towards tnn. S'wong.?
- In Silom 6 only the Indian & the Ch. eating houses were OPEN; PRIME MASSAGE had barriers across its frontage. MANGO TREE was OPEN, but COCA REST'T. was CLOSING-DOWN as we passed-by at approx. 21.3O.hrs..

-- Possibly the above was 'All sound & fury but signifying nothing.'?

-- E & OE .. Apologies for any typos., but gremlins seem to have taken control of my laptop, despite several attempts at editing in an endeavor to get rid of them!

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Wow, Sexytile - that was hurting my head trying to decipher it...

I am arriving at Bally Suites on Sunday - are you suggesting that I should cut short my stay and head down to Phuket straight away?

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Looks like I was in the area about an hour after Sextile. My observations reported here:
GAY THAILAND FORUMS - GAY ASIAN FORUMS • View topic - March 12th - ?? - Bangkok Protests (pics & videos)

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Many thanks for the reports and link.
Take extra care.

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-- My report was as I perceived matters at that time.
- But here in BKK. there is life outside the Silom area, isn't there?
- However, as you've asked, I'd suggest keeping a close eye on events and having a Plan B. - just in case events might get out-of-hand.

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Despite my report that Silom was looking better on Wednesday, things have gone down hill quickly.

Bally Suites is not in an area I would want to be staying as of Friday morning.

Check back this evening

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-- As at O9.hrs. today, 14th., the gen'l. Silom area v. quiet - especially as the gov't. has requested all businesses in that area that can to release their staffs from coming-in to work today; an offer that few employees will resist, I'd guess.
- SILCOM. was barricaded & shewed no signs of coming to life; many of the small food-shops were [color="Lime"]OPEN[/COLOR ; in CP. TWR. Watson's was OPEN but the 24/7. McCafe was CLOSED; many of the usual stalls were selling b'fasts. & other foodstuffs along tnn. Si Lom; in UNITED CENTRE DeliFrance was OPEN.
- A couple of 'buses. seen along tnn. Si Lom; but BTS. Sala Daeng, (S2.], CLOSED.

-- Running across the TOP of my DTAC. cell-'phone. is the msg.: EMERGENCY CALLS ONLY.

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