Deadly days

Fighting continues for a fourth day, and some city streets resemble a war zone. Broken bottles, burned tires and other debris litter the ground. Coils of razor wire adorn sidewalks and makeshift barricades. Rain falls periodically, helping quell plumes of smoke billowing from tires set ablaze. Tension continues to run high. We are a city in distress, scared and saddened.

International media reports dwell on the "illegitimacy" of this government; even though not democratically elected, the government assumed power under vote of parliament as did the previous two administrations. Most informed citizens believe Abhisit is doing the best he can under the circumstances. The government's approach appears methodical. Throughout these two months of demonstrations, it became clear that their intention has never been to dispel the protesters with force, and certainly not to kill ordinary citizens as the red shirt leaders have lamented on numerous occasions.

It is easy for such leaders to rouse support from and hide behind the premise that "we are poor, powerless, and non-violent." True, the majority of their followers fall into the former two categories but the movement is much more complex than class warfare. It is not as simple as "elite vs peasant" or "rich vs poor." Whomever is backing the reds has no real regard for the welfare of the poor other than using them as a power base for their own self-serving motives and business interests. And they definitely have no qualms about spreading hate and using violence to achieve such means. In a system rife with greed and corruption, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

The government has to end this movement before society can move forward. As the death toll mounts and the city smolders, it is a very tough lesson to learn. We can't pretend things can ever be the same as before. Unfortunately, meaningful social change takes time. But at least it begins now: first in our attitudes and then in our actions.