The Saffron Way

Why does the festive break always have to be so fraught with danger? This year we decided to get away from Jakarta and spend a peaceful Christmas in Thailand, and see in the New Year in Bangkok.  We were unconcerned by the bomb threats in Jakarta, as every year a warning is issued that Christians will be targets, but we did not expect Bangkok to be a riskier place than Jakarta.  But then we thought about it...

Bombs are almost unheard of in Bangkok, but it is ironic that just a couple of hours before the bombs Beth and I were discussing how complacent the city seems compared to Jakarta, despite the insurgency in the south of the country.  Statistically, Thailand is a more dangerous place to be than Indonesia at the moment (in terms of terrorism), yet in Jakarta one cannot go anywhere without being scanned or wanded.  In Bangkok there seems to be no security checks whatsoever, strange in a country currently under martial law.

It appears that the bombs were the work of pro-democracy (or pro-ancien regime) activists opposed to the military coup (See BBC article).  Seems a strange way to protest as presumably it gives the military an even better reason to retain control, but in this day and age I guess anything is possible.

The interesting thing is that today the Thais are all out and about enjoying the holiday, all wearing their yellow shirts in honour of the King.  The temples and parks are full, and no one seems paranoid or suspicious.  This is not the same as the famous 'Blitz spirit' of London (which is a dimension of the grin and bear it mentality that helps Brits endure the weather), but is a more a sort of smiling acquiescence to whatever fate delivers.