The King And Them

摘要

Thailand's tourism business, its export industries and its reputation have been wrecked by recent events. Crowds of royalists have occu-pied the government's offices for months and then seized Bangkok's airports. The policernrefused to evict them. The army refused to help. This week the siege was ended after the courts disbanded three parties in the ruling coalition. But the parties plan to re-form under new names and continue governing, so fresh strife threatens. It is as if a thin veneer of modernity, applied during the boom of the 1980s and early 1990s, has peeled away. Until recently a beacon of Asian pluralism, Thailand is sliding into anarchy.rnThe conflict began three years ago as peaceful rallies against corruption and abuse of power in the government of Thaksin Shinawatra. The protesters, wearing royal-yellow shirts and accusing Mr Thaksin of being a closet republican, got their way when royalist generals removed him in the coup of 2006. But on democracy's restoration last year, Thais elected a coalition led by Mr Thaksin's allies. The yellow-shirts of the inaptly named People's Alliance for Democracy (pad) revived their protests and adopted increasingly thuggish tactics, prompting Mr Thaksin's supporters to don red shirts and fight back.