HONG KONG — Graphic pictures from Bangkok last week told the grim story of bloodshed, death and destruction, of democracy challenged and mortally wounded. But they cannot convey the smell of burning, the terror of chaos in the center of a supposedly civilized modern capital city, or the human, moral and political decay that have brought prospering, smiling Thailand to the brink of anarchy.
Even after the Red Shirt commanders surrendered and Bangkok's central business and commercial area was cleared of protesters, mayhem continued. Thailand's stock exchange was attacked. One of Asia's biggest shopping centers was set on fire. A cinema was burned to the ground; a leading power company, 17 branches of five banks and Tesco Lotus stores were all attacked. In some cases rioters set the fires and then prevented fire crews from dealing with them.
And they proclaimed to the world that all they wanted was dissolution of Parliament so that Thailand could vote and the people's democratic voice be heard again!