Since I first moved to Thailand in 2005, there have been constant government problems. Each time it has been mostly for show, at least so far as my daily life was concerned. I have never been scared to be in Thailand and my life has never been effected in any way by the internal struggles of the Thai government.

That all changed this week. Bangkok is dangerous, and it is only going to get worse. The two sides have their heels dug in and are both prepared to die for their cause. A Civil War is imminent, there is no way around it. Even if the Prime Minister were to step down, or worse, the Powers That Be would see to it that his replacement shared the same political ideology. Meanwhile there is a billionaire ‘terrorist’ hiding out all over the globe who will stop at nothing, spare no lives, to get his life back.

I’m not Thai. I never will be. No matter how much I wish I were. Unlike many of the foreign media covering this event, I’m willing to recognize the fact that even though I’ve been here for 5+ years and watched and lived this situation, I don’t know near enough to say which side is right or wrong. I am also keenly aware of the fact that it is not my place to have an opinion. I’m just happy for the Privilege of making Thailand my home.

That said, stay away! If you are in Thailand now, get out! If you are planning to come, don’t! This is not going to end anytime soon and it is going to get worse. Much, much worse. I won’t say how or why I know that – I’ll just say that I’d bet my life on it.

Feel free to repost all or part of this post or these photos anywhere, I would appreciate attribution, but it is not required. You can direct any questions to williamdean.franceschine [at] sasin.edu

Sorry for the formatting, I can’t be bothered: