It is too soon to celebrate the government’s victory over the redshirted United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) after its key leaders turned themselves in on May 19, 2010. The war has not yet ended and the government has not won. I argue that Thailand is now entering another stage of war, a more violent and extremely precarious one.
It is the beginning of another kind of war in which the radical branch of the red-shirted movement is now attempting to create maximum damage to state properties. As of now, it is reported that the rioters have set fire to 36 key buildings in Bangkok. Simultaneously, the red-shirted supporters in the North and Northeast, regions which are still the strongholds of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have attacked government offices. The Land of Smiles is on fire.
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