April 13, Monday, Songkran Festival, Thailand's traditional New Year. It is the most important festival for the Thai people, which should have been celebrated with dancing, singing, parades and the well-known "water splashing".
However, closed stores and weary residents are all that one can encounter this time when walking around the once bustling tourism hub in Southeast Asia.
The reason is all too clear: Thailand, described by numerous tourists and traveler manuals from across the world as the Land of Smile, is now caught in a sad divide between its government and the "red shirt" people, protestors who demand the current government be dissolved and fresh elections held.
Since March 26, a large number, estimates on the exact figure varying from 250,000 to 25,000, of "red shirt" people have been besieging the prime minister's office in central Bangkok. They setup tents, where they slept, talked and even had meals prepared on the spot. All they wanted, they said, was to press the incumbent prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down and his government to take responsibilities for the casualties sustained in clashes Friday morning, when the army, trying to disperse the demonstrators ahead of the prime minister's office, clashed with the protestors.
The red shirt people and the government gave conflicting reports as for the accurate number of casualties. According to Jaran Ditapichai, a leader from the "red shirt" camp, at least six protestors were killed during Friday morning's conflict, while the government, denying such a claim, confirmed there were some 74 wounded and 24 in severe conditions.
Friday morning's clash came only two days after the red shirt protestors disrupted the 14th ASEAN and related summits in Pattaya of central Thailand, forcing the government to impose a state of emergency twice in a last-ditch bid to restore order.
The efforts seemed to have some effect, since violent confrontations were sporadic, at least till the Songkran Festival Friday afternoon. But sadly enough, the conflict sent tourists fleeing back home and some countries and regions, such as Australia, Russia and Hong kong of China have issued warnings against travel to Bangkok and Thailand. This would undoubtedly affect tourism, the backbone sector and a major foreign currency earner of Thailand, which has already been reeling from the cancellation of the ASEAN summits politically.
Despite all these, life goes on. Just several blocks from the rallies and excited protestors, a couple of kids and youngsters were enjoying their Songkran Festival, soaked and each armed with a huge water gun. To them, all the fuss had better be left to those adults to take care of. It's new year coming, so let's just have fun.
It was really good to see the smiles on their faces. That is probably where the beauty of life lies.
Source:Xinhua
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