March 2006.

August 2008.

The PAD (Yellow Shirt) protesters — along with the Thai military — saw that their current Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was seeking an over-through of the Monarchy which they (and vast majority of the country) is loyal to.  Thaksin seemed to be hell-bent on becoming Asia’s next strong-man. This resulted in a coup in 2006. Subsequent elections were soon had, but cronies of Thaksin wiggled their way back into the cat-bird’s seat. This led to massive (nonviolent) protests in Bangkok by those loyal to the King. Eventually, a non-Thaksin family member was made Prime Minister and there was calm in the streets. That is, for awhile.

Understanding Thailand’s Protests

When: March 2006 to August 2008