After the burning of Bangkok, shocked residents return
Bangkok — In a gloomy pilgrimage, shocked residents of Bangkok ventured into the heart of a city turned into a battle zone, angry and despondent at the loss of landmarks and livelihoods. Expatriates joined Thais meandering for the first time into what was once Bangkok’s most glamorous shopping zone, cameras in hand to record the devastation inflicted after anti-government protests were crushed. In strange and silent scenes, they gathered in front of Thailand’s biggest shopping mall, Central World, reduced to a smoking ruin in a campaign of arson and looting unleashed after Wednesday’s military offensive. Around them, squads of city workers wielded brooms and power hoses as the city attempted to get back to business, while enterprising street vendors offered ice creams and cold drinks in the tropical heat. Many expats were glad to emerge from their homes after sheltering for days as the government battled to end two months of rallies by “Red Shirts” protesters demanding elections and a new leadership. “We came to see the spectacle,” said Anna Perez, a 52-year-old French woman who has lived in Thailand for a decade. “This is just a disaster. In this country there have been coups, but not riots like this.” The civil unrest, which has left 86 dead and 1,900 injured since mid-March, as well as 36 buildings torched in Wednesday’s mayhem including the stock exchange, has shattered Thailand’s image as the “Land of Smiles.” Alan Nilson, a 30-year-old Briton who came to the ruins of downtown Bangkok with his Thai wife and their five-year-old daughter, was in nostalgic mood. Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100524com3.html |
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