By Jonathan DeHart
Bangkok is on edge this week as parliament debates a proposed bill that would provide amnesty for political offenders involved in bouts of unrest that have occurred in the country since the ouster of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on September 19, 2006. The proppsed bill is intended to promote political reconciliation following Thaksin's ouster in 2006.
Headlines have splashed across the front pages of local newspapers this week surrounding escalating tensions and rumors of a potential clash. On Wednesday some 2,000 opposition Democratic supporters convened outside the gates of the parliament building to protest the proposed legislation. A police cordon surrounded the building, which protesters did not attempt to breach despite earlier threats.
“It’s scary in Bangkok right now,” a local named Kate (surname withheld on request) told The Diplomat. “Everyone is just worried that violence will happen here again like it did many times in the past.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat