Thankfully, my boyfriend (a Red shirt supporter though not an activist) lives in a remote area of Kamphaeng Phaet. Were he in Chaing Mai or Bangkok, I'd be very concerned for his welfare. After all, he's not a member of the middle-class elite...and with dark skin, just the sort of Thai the comic-opera generals fear.

I spoke to a number of old friends during my recent stay in Pattaya, most of them from Isaan, about the situation; I'm surprised that more falangs aren't (apparently) aware of what's going on beneath the surface of everyday life in the city. Don't they ever listen to what the guys say? or is "politics" banned from their conversations?

If that is the case- and I hope it's not- they/we are playing into the hands of the bufoons who have seized power and whose aim is to disenfranchise the majority of Thai citizens....including most of those whom we meet on our adventures.