No.

I was out tonight and saw nothing unusual.

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-- Y'day., (13th.), midday I walked safely from SILOM COMPLEX SHOPPING PLAZA, (BTS.Sala Daeng, [S2.],), to the FOUR SEASONS' HOTEL, (BTS. R'damri., [S1.],), and was neither molested nor witnessed any untoward events; if anything the tfc. was the lightest that I had seen for a v. long time.
-- Then, in the evening, my tee rak & I went to BALCONY BAR in Si Lom 4., again nothing untoward was witnessed.
- Both BALCONY & the TELEPHONE BARS were v. busy - this would be around 21.30.hrs. & later. Maybe a case of: 'Eat, drink and be merry ... .'?
- But these may be early days yet in the ongoing progress of red-shirted events!

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-- Today, (19th.), early forenoon I walked from P. Pong to the Main PO. on Charoen Krung and back again.
- Many police sleeping, sitting-down, eating and generally relaxing were seen; also a score or so, black clad, in full riot gear with batons & shields seen outside one of the banks.
-- Later on I walked to SILOM COMPLEX SHOPPING PLAZA.
- In Tnn. Si Lom both men in riot-gear and armed troops, (tear-gas & bullet-firing weapons.),. Coils of barbed-wire either still coiled-up or pulled-out across some parts of the side-walks. Humvees, Black Marias, (aka. Paddy Wagons.), vehs. with water-cannons etc. etc., mostly parked along the sois.
- Many tps. resting in the sois leading OFF of Tnn. Si Lom.
- 'buses., (some of wch. have been re-routed.), BTS. & MRT. still running normally.

-- In the evening, (approx. 19.oo.hrs.), I walked back from SCSP..
- Quite a few tps. packing-up and returning to their barracks - or so it seemed.
- But many tps. still in pos'n. along the skywalk from BTS. Sala Daeng to MRT. Silom; a tall screen erected along the bridge across Tnn. Si Lom to stop people looking-at the red-shirts who'd CLOSED Tnn. R'damri., (sometimes it's an advantage to be tall!),.
- Quite a few tps. shopping in FOODLAND in PP2., (possibly the usual story af Army rations - ha!),.
-- In PP1. no Night Mkt.!
- In PP2. many girlie bars CLOSED!

-- I noticed that many of the tps. appeared to be quite young still, with not a few, (judging from their faces.), seeming to be apprehensive.

-- E&OE.. --

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Surprising that the night market was closed. Less surprising that the girlie bars were closed. What about the gay establishments in Silom Soi 4 and elsewhere in Patpong?

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I read in tiny Wall Street Journal article that Silom is now an area of concern for the army--especially Bangkok Bank (which is now protected with barbed-wire, etc.) because the protesters think that bank is in with the government.

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[quote=wantasian;676912]
I read in tiny Wall Street Journal article that Silom is now an area of concern for the army--especially Bangkok Bank, (which is now protected with barbed-wire, etc.), because the protesters think that bank is in with the government. [/QUOTE

-- Y'day., (19th.), forenoon I made a special trip to the HQ. of the BBL. - 333, Tnn. Si Lom, Khet Bang rak - to see for myself.
- True that there were a few mil'y. vehs. parked in Soi Phipat, (Silom 3.), but from the main rd. all I saw were some of the usual & portable steel barriers ready to be deployed along the side-walk, if needed; and a few armed & mil'y. gds. standing in the gen'l. area of the Bank's main ent'ce.. But possibly reserves were hidden-away, OUT of sight from the street?
- I was surprised at the gen'l. lack of obvious mil'y. strength.
-- Reportedly Gen. Prem - one of the thought-to-be upholders of the status quo ante bellum has his account with BBL.; and, or so I believe, was a member of its Board, (but please do not quote me on that as I've not verified it.),.

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-- Today, (20th.), forenoon I walked to BBL's. HQ. on Tnn. Si Lom:
- The yellow & portable barriers were strung-out along the side-walk in front of the outer wall, but a gap to allow tfc. In & OUT; a 2nd. row of similar barriers erected just in front of the Bank's plate-glass windows, with a gap by the revolving door.
- Several white & police pick-ups parked in the forecourt; a couple or so mil'y. Humvees parked alongside in Soi Phipat;
- No obvious signs of armed soldiers; just a few of the usual & civilian sec. gds. visible.

-- I'd say that there are MORE armed tps. along Tnn. Si Lom than y'day., just a few of whom were wearing red berets; noted several mil'y. vehs. prominently marked with red crosses, PLUS maybe 30 or so unarmed soldiers with red cross brasards.
- Razor wire either still coiled-up or pulled-out across the side-walk in several places.

-- Leaving SILOM COMPLEX SHOPPING PLAZA at around 12.oo. nn. I saw that the SkyWalk between BTS. S. Daeng & MRT. Silom was CLOSED to civilians.
- A few shops along Tnn. Si Lom CLOSED; not all that many happy eaters seen in SECRET RECIPE, BUG & BEE and COFFEE SOCIETY.
- At one time a mil'y. veh. crewed by red bereted soldiers was driven along Tnn. Si Lom - someone or other aboard was making a PA. announcement;
- A large crowd of spectators & voyeurs at the Rama IV.: R'damri. i'sect.; but, apart from that, rd. tfc.,('buses., taxis., tuk-tuks etc. etc.), flowing normally along Rama IV. & Si Lom rds..
- Quite strong police-presences outside BAILEY'S HOTEL on Tnn. Si Lom and the J. THOMPSON shop on Tnn. Suriwong.

-- I walked through Soi Twilight: just a few massage boyz sitting-out in the shade. The ME. rest't. and DICK'S CAFE were OPEN for business.

-- We'll see what later-on will bring?

-- E&OE.. --

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-- Today, (20th.) evening tee rak & I went for our usual evening's stroll in LUMPINI PARK.; we walked along Tnn. Si Lom on the DUSIT THANI HOTEL's side and crossed-over Tnn. Rama IV. under the watchful gaze of several red shirted traffic marshals.
- The red shirts have been busy erecting two palisades of sharpened bamboo stakes: the first is just back a few steps from the kerbside and the 2nd. is maybe a couple of yds. inside the first one; the ent'ce. that's between them can be CLOSED quite quickly with portable barriers and other objects. Many red shirts were seen to be walking-around & carrying sharpened bamboo stakes.
- We left the PARK at around 19.oo.hrs. as tee rak had to catch the BTS. to SURASAK, (S5.),.

-- Walking along Tnn. Suriwong I saw that the evening looked to be getting under way as usual in Soi Twilight; PP2. seemed to have many bars OPEN; PP1. is still without its Night Mkt., but bars & shops in the street-side bldgs. are OPEN , (at the S'wong. end the mil'y. had CLOSED it to veh. tfc. but pedestrians were being allowed IN for business and/or pleasure.) - life goes on!

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