Right now, protests in the streets of Bangkok are grabbing international headlines. Political tensions in Thailand have been on a low simmer for years, and the current protests are ultimately an escalation of dissatisfaction with the last democratically elected government. But how is the government that was overthrown in a coop in 2006 connected to the government today?
Thaksin Sinawatra and the 2006 Coup
In 2001, Thaksin Shinawatra was elected as prime minister of Thailand under one of the more populist constitutions that Thailand has had, with his party being the first to gain majority control of the parliament. He was a telecom tycoon with wealth in the billions of USD.
His policies were rather populist and played specifically to the rural populations of the north and northeast. They included a 30 baht healthcare scheme that made healthcare available to everyone with a visit to the local clinic costing the equivalent of $1 USD. Historically, the people who live in the rural areas of the country have not been well represented or had their interests attended to by the government, which was a major cause of the student-farmer protests in the mid ’70s which ended with the Thammasat University massacre.
In 2006, a military coup overthrew Thaksin and a junta was installed as government. In 2007 a new constitution was ratified and Thaksin’s party, Thai Rak Thai (Thai Love Thai) was dissolved. Thaksin’s supporters were and are known as the red shirts, while the opposition party, the Democrats, and their supporters are known as the yellow shirts. Yellow is the king’s color and Thaksin was accused of trying to undermine the monarchy. Opposition to him was thus aligned and sold as allegiance to the monarchy and the king. Red Shirts are generally lower-income Thais and they have a strong base in the north and northeast of the country. Yellow Shirts are generally middle- and upper-class Thais with their base centering in Bangkok and the south.
Thaksin was put on trial for corruption and he fled to Dubai where he remains in self-exiled. He was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison. Red Shirt protests erupted in 2010 which culminated in what the media dubbed “Savage May” and a total of 91 deaths. Ultimately the Red Shirt leaders surrendered. Later, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban were charged with murder for his role in ordering the military actions against protesters.
Yingluck Shinawatra and the Current Government
Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra became Prime Minister after the 2011 general election in which the Red Shirt-supported Pheu Thai Party had landslide victories in. She has been accused of being a puppet for her disgraced brother, which she consistently denies.
One of the policies that her administration implemented was rice subsidies. Thailand was the top rice exporter and in an attempt to manipulate the international market price of rice, Thailand began to stock pile rice for export. The plan backfired with India and Vietnam taking top exporter price leaving Thailand with 17 million tons of rice rotting in storage. As a result, there was a budget shortfall prompting Yingluck to attempt to rescind the subsidies earlier this year, which resulted in widespread discontent among her party’s base. It was decided that the subsidies would remain in place for the time being. Rubber farmers in the south were also displeased with the amount of their subsidies and began to protest earlier this year with road blockades.
The prime minister continued to stir the pot this year by introducing a bill that would have all Senate positions be elected, rather than the current breakdown of half elected and half appointed. The Yellow Shirt-supported Democrats saw this as a power grab in that the majority of the people in Thailand have Red Shirt sentiments. The bill did not pass. Not long after, Yingluck introduced the amnesty bill which would give her brother, Abhisit and Suthep amnesty for their convictions and charges respectively. That was the spark for the beginning of the current round of protests.
The amnesty bill passed the House, but failed in the Senate and Yingluck has shelved the bill. The bill rankled both Red and Yellow Shirt supporters. But, it did not stop the protests. Suthep has been at the forefront of the current protests which have occupied and shut down several government ministries and calls for a regime change. The protests have remained mostly non-violent until this past weekend. Yingluck has not called for military intervention, with most analysis of the situation being that the administration hopes that things will die down by the King’s birthday, December 5.
The US Embassy, and Peace Corps, have recommended that we avoid the protest areas in Bangkok and maintain a heighten sense of awareness. Nothing of note has happened in my village and I haven’t heard too many people talking about it, but I think that is because of Thai culture anyway. If you have any questions, please comment and I will try my best to answer them.
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