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In Thailand over the weekend, 21 people were killed, and at least 800 injured in anti-government protests. The protests by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), or Red Shirts as they are often called, are aimed at forcing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and announce fresh elections. Although some Red Shirts want the ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra restored to office, many simply demand the right to choose their government through the ballot box. The current violence stems from a 2006 military coup which forced Thaksin Shinawatra from office for corruption and abuse of power by the People’s Alliance for Democracy or PAD, sometimes called the Yellow Shirts. The PAD, which is said to represent the traditional establishment elites of Thailand, was also successful in forcing Thaksin’s allies from power two years later. The Red Shirts, who are mostly poor and rural, support Thaksin for his health-care and education programs, and for giving the poor a voice in Thai politics. They are opposed to the current government because it was installed by parliament with the backing of the military. In a particularly visual protest display, the Red Shirts recently collected and poured buckets of their own blood over the four gates of the Government House, and over the headquarters of the ruling Democrat party.

GUEST: Kevin Hewison, Director of the Carolina Asia Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been researching and writing on Thailand for 30 years

Kevin Hewison recommends the following news websites: bangkokpundit.blogspot.com and thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com.