Since early March, red-shirt protestors have been in Bangkok causing a certain level of disturbance. This mostly consisted of small annoyances, such as taking over a park I like to visit, or causing traffic because of protests. But, as everyone knows, in mid-May, things escalated to a level I don’t think anyone expected. There was a 2-3 day period where I actually did feel scared, as protestors had now left their official site and were said to be causing destruction, including arson, in random pockets of the city.
This once beautiful statue was ripped from its post and set to burn in the middle of a generally extremely busy road near the business district.
On the same street where I played Songkran only one month early were now parked a long row of army vehicles.
One of MANY buses that were lit on fire by the red-shirts.
This photo is taken at one of the red-shirt campsites. This is the trail they left after their hasty departure – a broken barricade.
Ground Zero – Central World Shopping Center. The entire middle section of this once sparkling white, brand-new, high class shopping center is now entirely gone. Fourty hours after it was set on fire, it was still smoking and water was being sprayed at it.
Me trying to take in the extent of the destruction. It was a really surreal feeling to be there, and I remember feeling shock, disbelief, awe, and a plethora of other indescribable things.
Down the road from Central World, and across from my preferred shopping ball, Siam Paragon, a whole row of shops was burnt to a crisp. I still don’t understand why Paragon was left completely untouched…
