Pix in print…

A rather pleasant tear-sheet from an unexpected publication. After a request from my old friend Steve Raymer (former Nationnal Geographic staffer now a professor of journalism at Indiana University), the NPPA newsphotographer magazine ran in page 3 one of my pictures of the Bangkok Army crackdown published in this blog… Thanks guys, I’m still not re-connected yet with that old trade… The picture was taken on the 19th of May at the height of the crackdown, when the Thai military were arresting a number of Red shiort protester at the corner of Sarasin and Rajdamri Roads.

magazine cover

Pages 3/4 : The international Press at work… 19th of May Thai Army crackdown in Bangkok

Slideshow recap of the protest in Bangkok

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This slideshow is a chronology of the Red Shirts movement protest at Rajprasong in Bangkok after April 10, until the final crackdown of May 19, 2010… (about 100 pictures)

The Press at Work…in Bangkok crackdown…

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The place was very dangerous, and there was a full load of press to cover the crackdown, local & foreign. The press has also paid a heavy toll for the week. Overall, I believe that a good half of the reporters at the front-line has little or no experience of that kind of situation and behaved dangerously. With limited interest from the public and the earning one can make for that kind of reporting, there is no doubt in my mind that the risk is definitely not worth taking. Nevertheless when and where could you get in such an incredible situation, just a couple of hundred meters from your hotel or a taxi to take you home? SLIDESHOW OF 10 IMAGES

Erawan Shrine

In the Thailand world of superstition, this is coming out at the heart of the situation. This shrine is basically a symbol for Bangkok, it’s feared and loathed… It was built somehow to ensure the passage of the city to a modern era coinciding with the building of the ERAWAN hotel (which was the ultimate place to stay for guests of the State). The building of the hotel was fraught with problems and incidents. After the shrine construction things went fine. The WTC (World Trade Center) construction was also fraught with problems as the developers had built another shrine right across the crossroad. When the WTC (the former owner family went bankrupt after the 1997 crisis) was bought by the Central group they relocate their Shrine further away and things went better. After the 2006 incident at the Erawan Shrine, Thaksin got involved into the story and of lately as said by assassinated general Seh Daeng, it was Thaksin who suggest/decide to move the protest to this location. And now this. I hope some is going the study the whole affair, it’s definitely worth a book. It’s also good to say that this plaza is one of the most celebrated event location in Bangkok.

More aftermath…

Pictures (from the top left): Firemen after putting out the blaze at Siam Theater, inside the pagoda transformed as a refugee camp, another Red monk wandering, a group of soldiers at Siam area, soldiers check a you Red shirt as try to leave the area, view from the stage, the littered street opposite Zen and view at Pratunam.

The day after…

Like after any excess, you get a hangover… and here in Bangkok, the hangover is pretty hard to deal with… It will take weeks, months or maybe years to understand the full extend of what’s happen in the few weeks. I came in contact with Thai politics for the first time in mid-1976 by staying a couple of days inside occupied Thammassat University sometime before the crackdown. Since that time I have follow the story. I believe another chapter in Thai history is just taking shape… what we’ll see is still mystery for most people. But one thing we know for sure, history in general repeat itself! Countries across the world have a tendency to develop along the same line. More convulsions will shake Thailand future. Pictures show the statue in front of the ZEN, a Red monk looking for possessions, dead at the pagoda and DSI staff collecting weapons of the Reds…

Crackdown on Red Shirts Protest in Bangkok

Wednesday 19th of May, will stay as another black date in Thai political histoty… after weeks of occupying Central Bangkok, the Red Shirts movement has seen a tragic finale. As several times in the past the Thai Army has been called in to quash a rebellious part of the population.

A day at Din Daeng crossing

It has become the most dangerous place in Bangkok, this usually busy cross roads is now deadly and could be named sniper alley… Dozen of local people and Reds taunt soldiers bunkered a couple of hundreds yards away. And the response is invariably snipers at work…

Dead end in Bangkok…

Life inside the Red Shirts protest area seem peaceful in the surface, no sign of panic or surrender…

Today was another deadline… What’s next… The city already look like a war zone in some parts. Here a sampler of the take of the day: a woman doing the morning chores, MiB pass by a monk, another older going about in the Red zone, the Pratunam entrance and the sight from there towards the “kill zone”.

And here is Rama 4 at Don Kai, pretty bleak at night fall, reminds me of some major conflicts I have covered in the past…

Rama 4 @ Klong Toey Sunday …

Third day of Reds p;us local Klong Toey folks facing the Thai army at this location… 3 days of burning tires…very dangerous, at least 10 people wounded here today by sniper fire ( single shots fired at intervals by a few marksmen)… Activities includes loading tires to burn, firing bangfai, few molotov and (unseen by us but heard) MiB firing guns… we differentiate the sound of outgoing and incoming shots from army snipers. And  further down the road a new stage with Reds who came from Isaan over the last few days and could not get into Rajprasong. Crowd goes from several hundreds to several thousands throughout the day.

Bon Kai Sunday morning

The area of Bon Kai/Klong Toey intersection is still in the hands of local people with some Red Shirts, still have burning tires. The mobile stage put up last night is still there with a speaker but a much thinner crowd. Exits from expressway blocked, as well other streets around with small barricades and more people were shot during the night…

Bon Kai area of Bangkok today…

That stretch of Rama 4 Road close to Lumpini Night Market got more action on Saturday… it seems more organised with more people, and more dangerous as well… Burning tires all time, sporadic gun firing, wounded and spooky nightfall with an overlooking well lit portrait of the King on a building. (Click on images to see them larger)

Rama 4 Rd frontline

A couple more images from yesterday late afternoon near Suan Lum  market on Rama  4 road… Journalist crossing the lines towards army controlled area, people detained in a pen under the Thai-Belgium flyover of Rama 4.

Bangkok Dangerous

There is the big story… barricades, protesters, soldiers, burning tires, empty streets, shooting…
Theses 4 pictures are a snip at today mayhem in BANGKOK.
On Rama 4, next to the Thai Boxing Stadium where a number of protesters, some Red Shirts and supporters from the Klong Toey area nagging at soldiers for a good part of the day. Around 5:30, we have yet another burning tire and a few volleys from sling-shots… a soldier firing rubber bullets, a another fire 3 shots from his M16… one man in his 50′s about 80 metres away fall,  mortally wounded, under the eyes of other reporters standing at the scene. I was behind the soldiers. I post the 4 pictures telling the story from my POV: shooting, the man carried away in background (recrop), the soldiers being call back by their commander, and finally the probable author of the fatals shot being lectures by his superiors…

Day 57 of the Red Shirts Protest in Bangkok

Another day, another chore… The settlement in Central Bangkok which accommodate thousands of protesters is always busy, a number of communities have established their daily routine there and it seems that there is no end in sight…yet.

Pictures (from the top) : Renegade Maj-General Kittaya conduct an inspection the protecting fences, a woman does her laundry on Rajdamri Rd, a food-line at the Rajprasong intersection, a monk does his round spraying holly water on his subjects and an army patrol chatting with girls at night on Sukhumvit Road.

Bangkok Protest On Coronation Day

On May 5, the 60th birthday of the King of Thailand Coronation, the protest on Rajprasong took a festive turn for a day…

And the most popular soldier of the Red Shirts (Maj Gen Seh Daeng) was on hand for picture taking, the crowd (seen here from the bridge on Sean Sep canal) was visibly larger than any other day, and a giant picture with a shrine to the King adorn the stage for the ceremony… in the meanwhile, there is no sign of preparing to move out of the place…

Negotiations time in Bangkok

Look like, the contenders are coming to some sort of compromise in Thailand… The situation is clearly out of hand for the government and the protesters are well entrenched in the center of Bangkok…Now this is bargaining time… Pictures of an Thai artist protester from the TEP organism in front of the Central World, a smiling Red in front of a Vuitton shop, and the core leaders of the movement announcing their vues on the government proposal to the crowd on Rajprasong.

A city under siege (continued)

Bangkok is learning how to live under siege. It’s now one month since the protest have move to the center of town, and it’s start to take its toll. Barricades, encampments, a new way of life is emerging in this plush shopping area of the city and this has probably never happen anywhere in a modern city.

Life goes on in the Red’s zone of Siam Square and Rajprasong

With the garbage bags piling up as the City refuse to clean up and the rainstorms coming this season, we are up for some new ambiance images on the occupation of Central Bangkok.

Situation in Bangkok

We are now a few weeks into the crisis (blocade of Central Bangkok) and no solution in sight… only reinforced ‘barricades’ and the same crowd with less red shirt… and the pesky rumours of military crackdown…Pictures of the Silom crossroad at sunset, the statue of Rama VI at Lumpini Park, recruting station on Rajdamri and a ‘barricade’ on Ploenchit road…

Bangkok nights…on the frontline

A few pictures of the Rajdamri Road area during the night, the long nights…A monk peeking through the barricade, a folk singer in front of the Four Season hotel (closed)…And the crowd with Bangkok skyline in the background.

A day at the “barricade”

The visual on the Red Shirts occupation of Central Bangkok is taking an upswing…and gaining in popularity attesting by the presence of a great number of news people at that Dusit Thani crossroad…BAMBOO AND TIRES… ancient tools inspiration. Anyway this is repeated to most entries to their “territory”. And what they face on Silom road.

Webzine on my Fall of Phnom Penh story (from 1975)

From Yumi Goto, a webzine story on my coverage of the Fall of Phnom Penh (17 april 1975) and the book on the story…

http://reminders-project.org/pdfx12/The_Fall_of-PP/pdfX12_40E.pdf

Step up security cordon in Bangkok

This early Monday morning Thai troops invade the Silom Business district to fend off any incursion by the Red Shirts camped just a hundred yard away…

News (snapshots) from Reds Square in Bangkok

With the inflated rumours of an imminent new crackdown, I trail my camera onto the Rajprasong again today, from early morning and at midday…to immortalise this boldest show of people power in Bangkok to date. Early nite view from Pratunam, shrines to the victims of last Saturday clash and (political) art in the street (Over the whole affair, I start to have some reminiscence of the events of 1976…)

Reds Shirt settling in plush Central Bangkok…

REd SQquare in Bangkok…life take its own speed and it looks pretty well organised…Plenty of shade under the inner city train tracks, food distribution, ventilation available, information also taking it new shape with wall posting with free expression…All this probably to the dismay of the well-heeled shopping crowd of Bangkok which find itself ousted from its favourite daytime playground.

Red Shirt Protest Consolidate Rajprasong

The protest is expanding its hold of Central Shooping Area of Bangkok. A renegade general of the Thai Army (Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol) also know as Seh Daeng, a supporter of the Red movement, currently under an arrest warrant showed-up on Wednesday April 14, 2010 in the middle of the occupation taking place in Central Bangkok. He is avidly sought by his supporter to autograph their red shirts. The Reds are presuring the Governement to step down after a bloody clash last Saturday.

Turmoil in Bangkok

For the last few days I have finally gone on covering the street. The Red Shirts movement doesn’t seem to weaken after weeks of street occupation. In fact the story is much deeper and very interesting to follow, we are starting to see what’s coming here in Thailand. Anyway good opportunity to re-connect with the news photo biz… here are a few images from the last days…I didn’t cover the night of clashes but everything around it…

The story is still developing and we don’t know where it will end…

KFC shoot in Bangkok

A week as a still photographer on a advertising film for KFC France. The 45 sec. AD was shot with a RED on locations and studio in Bangkok with an attractive cast… and a great crew of French and Thai (and I didn’t have to use a ‘blimp’). Almost shot 4k pix on that…

Happy New Year…

Turning another page and now entering the Year of the Tiger. 2010 had a lot of potential and I wish to all to take advantage of it. Happy New Year!!!