Thailand’s prime minister appears convinced he knows who is behind the Monday bombing in Bangkok.
“There are individuals or groups who seek to destroy our country. The ongoing attacks might be politically motivated, targeting the economy or tourism for whatever reason,” said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha.
No prizes for guessing who those groups might be. The finger is being pointed at the “redshirts”, fierce opponents of the traditional ruling classes whose movement sprang up in 2006 in support of their champion, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by the army.
In Thailand it is easy. The opposition is red, and those supporting the status quo wear yellow. Even easier, red is for the poor, yellow is for the elite, red for anti-military dictatorship versus the yellow educated and upper classes revolted by corruption, and monarchist.
The red’s stonghold is in the north where more than 10% of the population lives in poverty. The others are concentrated in and
