Street protests in Bangkok became lethal this week. In an effort to force Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign from his position, one protester was left dead with forty-five injured.
Ironically enough, the conflict is not against the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the government, but rather the PAD and those who wish for Sundaravej to stay in office. Sundaravej is favored by the poor and countryside residents of Bangkok, unlike the PAD, who form a middle and businessmen social class.
The PAD claim that Sundaravej was an illegal proxy to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is now in exile in London. Until Sundaravej resigns, the PAD have absolutely no intentions of forfeiting their hugely drawn out protest. To their disadvantage, Sundaravej is refusing to resign and is currently in talks with the government of a referendum. He claims in a statement, “I will not jump ship. I will be in control.”
Not only has this conflict caused a massive amount of violence among citizens, but it is affecting many other sociospheric patterns in Bangkok. For instance, Thailand’s stock market, which already suffers from inflation, is on a huge spiral downward.
Officials claim that if the referendum does not occur, a possible snap election may be in order. If none of these propositions are pursued, analysts say the conflict will continue. With the military refusing to become involved, this conflict may continue for quite some time.
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