Bangkok, May 2010
Perspectives on a Divided Thailand

Michael J. Montesano (Edited by), Pavin Chachavalpongpun (Edited by), Aekapol Chongvilaivan (Edited by)

9789814345354

Paperback / softback, published 30 March 2012

250 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.455 kg

After a two-month stand-off between Red Shirt protesters and the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, violence and arson scarred central Bangkok in mid-May 2010. This shocking turn of events underlined how poorly understood the deep divisions in the society and politics of Thailand remained, even five years into the country’s prolonged crisis. This volume collects analysis and commentary on those divisions from an unusually large and prominent group of Thai and foreign scholars and observers of the country. Contributions examine socio-economic, political, diplomatic, historical, cultural, and ideological issues with rare frankness, clarity, and lack of jargon.