Bangkok attack is deepening THE DIVIDE in Thai society

Amid the constant flow of reports – not all of them reliable – it may be premature to make claims about who was behind the attack. But it is not unreasonable to surmise that this was a terrorist act. As such, it will likely have unforeseen ramifications for Thailand well into the future.

The blast took the lives of at least 20 people, but its after-effects may now be felt by all Thais as they endure life amid a seemingly irreconcilable societal divide. Thailand is a country already on the brink, and any additional stress could catalyse a descent into further disintegration and, ultimately, chaos.

Returning to Bangkok on Monday from a trip abroad, I followed a path to the shrine beaten by countless others, Thais and foreigners alike. Less than an hour before the blast hit, the street was full of unsuspecting Thais and foreign tourists busily going about their day at the Ratchaprasong intersection.

Things were calm, with a business-as-usual feel despite the current state of Thailand’s fraught political scene. A steady stream of people were arriving to pray at Bangkok’s most famous Hindu shrine. None could have suspected what was about to occur.

But beyond the immediate and terrible impact of multiple deaths and injuries, this tragedy reveals much about Thailand. The public blame-game now being played out on social-media sites such as Facebook says a lot more about what lies beneath the Thai illusion of superficial calm, safety and notional reconciliation.

After more than a decade of “colour-coded” political conflict, the coup of 2014 brought renewed hope for some citizens that schism-riven Thailand could now somehow be reunited. Yet at this time of national tragedy, the gap between those in the colour spectrum has grown rather than narrowed, mainly because of a dearth of much-needed critical thinking. The political divide has fuelled an escalating mentality of self-righteousness and impetuosity within Thai society, as citizens fall prey to a reflexive belief in the rumours that routinely condemn the “other side”, while ignoring more challenging facts or uncomfortable realities.

It is well understood by those who live in sharply divided societies – and especially by those that are repeatedly and continuously subjected to terrorism – that the consequences reach far beyond isolated incidents and their victims. Moreover, this fact is all-too-well understood by terrorists and reflected in their calculations.

Already, much of the response to Monday’s attack has moved to concern about the likely impact on Thailand’s tourist industry. Tourism has become an increasingly important source of revenue amid an economic downturn in the months following the sudden and arbitrary “suspension” of the Thai democratic experiment. As such, the attack on the shrine, a tourist landmark, suggests a sophisticated approach aimed at further damaging the Thai economy.

Recognition of a confluence of critical factors may well indicate –not only to the various potential Thai dissident groups that may be increasingly prepared to act violently, but also to all those who are disaffected with the current social-political impasse, and, of course, to the Thai authorities – that the already-high stakes are only likely to get higher.

An immediate key concern for Thai tourism is that the influx of Chinese visitors that authorities had been banking on will dissipate dramatically. The shrine was popular with foreign visitors generally, and ethnic Chinese in particular – a fact tragically reflected in the list of casualties from Monday’s attack.

All of this was likely well understood by those who perpetrated the bombing.

Before any serious attempts were made to identify the perpetrators, the Thai authorities were quick to claim that the attack was connected to the socio-political schism and turmoil. Most Thais would understand such statements as alluding to the involvement of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his alleged proxies. A determination to insinuate such connections to the political schism now permeates thinking in Thai society, as both sides of the divide bid to legitimise their position and its pre-established conclusions. It is dismaying to witness such a disregard for more measured responses that rest on determinable facts, due process and genuine justice. 

But the framing of events according to the prevailing social-political narratives has become the norm for most Thais these days. That norm holds whether they are well-rehearsed spokespersons of Thai authoritarian officialdom, opportunistic media pundits seeking an audience, or the millions of ordinary citizens who continue to react reflexively as they find themselves caught up in the tumult.

This is no way to honour the memories of those who lost their lives at the Erawan Shrine this week. Neither does it address Thailand’s all too apparent collective failings.

 

DR TITIPOL PHAKDEEWANICH is a visiting fellow at the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation at the UK’s University of Warwick. He is based at Ubon Ratchathani University.