Red shirt leaders pray for good luck at ceremony to open their week-long march (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Around 2000 demonstrators gathered for this ceremony at Lumphini Park, one of many around Bangkok and red shirt strongholds in the north and east (Photo: Simon Roughneen ©)
The opening ceremones took place at 12.12pm, on March 12 - apparently an inauspicious set of numbers for Thailand's traditional elites (Photo: Simon Roughneen ©)
Red shirts believe that the current government, headed by PM Abhisit, is illegitimate (Photo: Simon Roughneen ©)
Red shirts take off around Bangkok after Friday's opening. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
On duty? Policeman filming the red shirts. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Red shirts on the march, Ratchadamnoen Ave, March 14. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Red shirts arrived into Bangkok by truck and bus, many coming from the north & northeast of Thailand. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Go on or go home? Watching the red shirts on the move. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Many red shirts donned masks of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra during the march. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
By early Sunday evening March 14, attendance at the rally was around 100000 people. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Plenty of fiery political rhetoric to be heard, but also some rabble-rousing songs. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
The entertainment gets the crowd going. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
And some get lost in the emotion of it all. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
More serene backstage. These Buddhist monks travelled from various parts of Thailand to back the red shirts. (Photo: Simon Roughneen © )
Monday morning March 15th. Red shirts hit the road to the army barracks where PM Abhisit is staying. Some support on the sidewalks form Bangkokians. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Further along the 15km route to the barracks, still more people out in support. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
And more hitching a lift on the back of ute. (Photo: Simon Roughneen)
Further out the road, more onlookers and supporters on the bridges above. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
A 6-7 km red shirt convoy tailback, from the army barracks back into Bangkok. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Red shirt leaders re-issue an ultimatum to PM Abhisit to step down, outside the 11th Army barracks. Troops lined up inside the gates in case of trouble. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Showing love to the soldiers? (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Red shirts lining up to give blood, Tuesday morning March 16 (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Some blood drawn. The blue chemical in the foreground is added to the blood to stop it hardening under the 35 degree sun. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
'I'm giving my blood for democracy in Thailand'. Red shirts think the gesture will expedite the collapse of the current Government. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
A full bottle. Red shirts stock up before heading to Government House, where blood gets poured. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
At the gates of Government House. Thousands of red shirts gathered outside as the blood-pouring ritual took place. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Standing outside Government House, I asked her opinion of the current administration. It didn't go down well. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Carrying the blood into Government House. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Red shirt leaders pull up at Government House, re-issuing ultimatum to the Government. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
There will be blood? There is - by the gallon. Marching into Government House. (Photo: Simon Roughneen)
Wednesday morning March 17, red shirts advance on police lines. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
As the red shirts move down the street toward the PMs house, the riot police back up. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Front-line from the other side: behind the red shirt line. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Face to face: red shirts looking to get through police lines. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Bags of shit, fish and blood hurled over the fence into the PMs house. See circled red. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
At the front gate of the PMs house, red shirts ready to pour. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Dousing the PMs gate with blood. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Blood on streets as the crowd gets pushed against the barricades at the PMs house. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
'Blood on the streets, its up to my ankles'..Don't think Jim Morrison had Thailand in mind when he penned the lyrics to Peace Frog. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Blood on the gates. The Pm has been staying at the 11th Army barracks since last week, and flew to northern Thailand today. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
Cleaning-up the mess. The red shirts then head to the US Embassy. (Photo: Simon Roughneen©)
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The leaders of the red protesters are not making full use of their limited resources and time to fight for their causes.Their strategy seems to be targeting at a puppet the P.minister. The Thais , knowing very well who is behind and who is the owner of the puppet and same time controls the Army and the the social elite .
Should there be a strategy to target every possible aspect to topple the government in a less time consuming way.
If they continue to go about it in the same way focusing on the puppet alone. What do they think they will achieve in the end. (Another disappointment as the same as the 1st rally, when the Boss thinks is enough and orders his armies to hide on top of all high rise building and start their shooting spree at the red shirt. In America they called it murder. In Thailand they call it silence)
The end result, the elite still have the upper hands when comes to Thailand politics.
Kindly don’t misquote me here. My message is not about the monarchy.
I love and respect the King of Thailand . He is a very kind man and has done much for his country. The King is not interested in power play. He has the love and respect for all the Thai people and that is more than anyone would ask for.
However , unfortunately there is one perhaps, a selfish one who thinks the King is frail and weak and now it is his final chance to show his power.And he is doing it now.
I believe all the leaders of the red are brave and not afraid to die in their struggle for a democratic country. But I do not understand ” WHY ” they choose not to offend the one who is behind all this. Instead they go for the puppet.
Remember time and resources is limited. Life have to go on even for the poor farmers.If land and crops are not attended to, they too will loose out in the end. They may be poor, uneducated but they have a mind and heart and they love their land and crops too more than politics.
Bloop