One of our users ,Kapongham, writes about what it’s like to live in a volatile Thailand.

Life in Bangkok has an added edge now that over two dozen people have been killed in riots and bombings against the government. For one, you make real sure that you’re up to date with the latest news. Coming upon an unexpected Red Shirt rally will at best result in excruciating traffic jams – I’ve had to walk home more than once. At worst, you’ll end up on the news amid a hail of rubber and real bullets, tear gas or bombed-out rubble.

What’s changed for most Bangkokians is less visible – it’s the feeling of tension in the air. If you get in a cab, you’ll hear the political radio blaring. Red shirt protestors drive by in caravans, honking their horns, and I see pedestrians turn their heads away in disgust or join in with the protestors. There are more checkpoints on the road. This week saw pro-government counter-protestors hurling abuse and bottles at the Red Shirts. The division the protests have created in Thai society cut along class and ethnicity lines, and suddenly, I am all too aware of my own privilege and position as a middle-class English speaker.

Nonetheless, us Bangkokians are determined to continue their lives as usual – after all, it has been almost twenty years since we’ve had such violence. The corner vendor still sells my favorite nam phrik pla tu- fermented fish and chili paste with mackarel. The motorbike taxi men, who’ll take you on the back of their bikes wherever you want for as little as 25 cents US, still hang out by the sidewalk. The heat is still overbearing – it’s usually 40C most days – and the food is still deliciously spicy. We go to the movies, we karaoke, we shop, we watch plays and go to concerts, if the protestors haven’t closed the Skytrain stations there. In any place outside of Bangkok, we are still the land of smiles, the rice-bowl of Asia, the tourist destination with white sand beaches and world-class dive sites.

Bangkok, on the other hand, is still being held hostage in a fight over who will be in power next. Roiling tensions, at first relieved by a week-long holiday, are building again. Grenade bombings this past few days have killed at least three people and injured fifty.

A few weeks ago, I had posted on anybodyoutthere that I was angry- “pissed” even – with the protestors. I was optimistic about negotiations between protestors and the government. Now, with escalating tensions and a body count of almost thirty, I am simply afraid for my city.

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