Repression, Civil Conflict and Leadership Tenure; the Thai Case Study: 2006-2014

Abstract

The global press tells the story of Thailand as dialectic: a power struggle between two groups, the Red Shirts and Yellow Shirts, who have been at odds for years. The Yellow Shirts represent traditional elites (from business, government and the military) who live in or immediately outside of Bangkok and have benefited from longstanding policies designed to promote the region's economic growth. The Red Shirts include people living outside of Bangkok who come from rural areas and were ignored by government. However, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister, former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, redirected incentives from Bangkok towards regional economic development and tried to move the state to be more responsive to the needy.