Q&A: Who and what is causing the Thailand confrontation? What are the origins of this confrontation?Put simply, Thailand's rural poor are protesting for the right to have a greater say in the government of their country. The move is being resisted by the Bangkok elite – the wealthiest families, the military, the bureaucrats – who have controlled Thailand's affairs for generations.
Although the issue is complicated by the influence of people such as the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, at the heart of the conflict lies a struggle for, or a defence of, a greater say in the running of the country.
Who are the redshirts?The redshirts are drawn largely from Thailand's rural poor, mainly from the north and north-east of the country. They are the electoral majority. Many are still supporters of the fugitive Thaksin. Although their movement grew out of a loyalty to Thaksin, it has become broader than him, with its leaders claiming their campaign is about bringing a more representative democracy to Thailand.
Who are the yellowshirts?The yellowshirts, or People's Alliance for Democracy, are the reds' opposition. They represent the ruling class in Bangkok, known as the amataya, or elite. They are the wealthy families, the military and the bureaucrats, who have long exerted a huge influence on Thai politics.
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that short Q&A from the Guardian explains little about the backdrop of a coup installed, military-led govt in place since 2006, against which today's bloody demonstrations are taking place:
Thai coup uproots a thin democracySeptember 21, 2006
A bloodless coup in Thailand has upended the country's fragile democracy, to the delight of many middle-class activists who had campaigned for months for the removal of Thaksin Shinawatra, the populist prime minister. But the manner of his removal by Army officers loyal to the Thai monarch exposes the shallow roots of the democratic institutions that grew in the shadow of past military regimes.
Mr. Thaksin, whose party has won three elections since 2001, had repeatedly accused his opponents of plotting a coup. Wednesday, Thailand's king endorsed the military coup leaders, who have pledged to restore civilian rule within weeks.
The readiness of self-styled democrats to condone the military action reflects the conservative grounding of Thailand's urban political culture, which is shaped more by royalist hierarchy than well-defined checks and balances on a strong executive.
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Constrained by a 4 paragraph citation rule, the above excerpt from the Christian Science Monitor explains little about why Thaksin was removed and the military imposed new leadership. If you read the full article, though, Thaksin's many faults are described, and you can see how people could claim his govt was abusive and left no way out but a coup. It is not fair to characterize the Redshirt protest movement, however, as simply an insurrection aimed at restoring Thaksin to power. Thaksin's electoral base was comprised of a historically exploited and voiceless majority within the country. Regardless of whether Thaksin is alive or dead, the deep divisions and grievances within Thai society have continued.
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