Thailand. Strife and turmoil have beset this Southeast Asian nation. Thousands of red shirt demonstrators, joined by farmers from the north and northeast, took to the streets and occupied key areas of Bangkok for weeks on end. Adding to the tensions was the fact that many red shirts possessed deadly weapons. Once the leaders surrendered to the Thai army, however, the rest dispersed.What began as a fight between former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the Bangkok establishment, which detests his populist, opportunistic policies, morphed into a movement. The farmers seek redress, wanting their share of the economic growth that has been concentrated in Bangkok. The establishment will have to address this push for equity. Full Story
