Day 5 Bangkok Shutdown: Update 13:45 Blast Injures Eight

Day 5 Bangkok Shutdown: 

Update 13:45 Blast Injures Eight

Thai TV reporting some kind of blast injured 20, no deaths. It was eight when I wrote the headline, updated as I typed. 

No (public) indications of who is responsible for the blast. All injured appear to have been marchers.

"They're both groups equally bad," say some Thais we interviewed this afternoon, "only difference is the Yellow Shirts (Sutep et. al.) want the Kingly caste (family and lords/ladies) but Taksin's group doesn't."

According to the interviewees (and a Thai-language photo online today) "You say Sutep is against corruption? Get the Democrats out, too, and we'll support you. Until then, Yellow-Red-Democrat? Same criminals!"

The great majority of Thais are seeing the truth, and they're fed up. They want something trustworthy, honest, NEW...

 

Update: 1720 BKK, Friday evening: This from the American embassy here:

This is to advise and update U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Thailand that there have been multiple reports of violent clashes the afternoon of Friday January 17 at several protests sites in Bangkok.  One incident occurred near the National Stadium and MBK shopping mall at Pathumwan Intersection downtown.  Another attack occurred near the Government Center on Changwattana Road in the northern area of the city.  Casualties have been reported, although details are unconfirmed.  Additional crimes involving weapons and explosives related to the ongoing political situation have occurred at protests sites in recent days.  

Then, two paragraphs later, it advises: 

We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Thailand enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at www.Travel.State.Gov.  STEP enrollment gives you the latest security updates, and makes it easier for the U.S. embassy or nearest U.S. consulate to contact you in an emergency. 

But we couldn't receive as much help as Ambassador Chris Stevens, could we? Kind of pointless to sign up for security updates that say, 'No help is EVER coming. Period.'