I took these photos on 20 May 2010 in the streets of central Bangkok. I'd pretty much forgotten about them but talk of what might happen after this weekend's Thai general election brought them to mind so I thought I'd post them here.
20 May 2010 was the day after the Red Shirt rally was ended by force by the Thai military. Over five days of fierce fighting on the streets roughly 90 people were killed. The tens of thousands of Red Shirts who'd spent over two months camped out in largely peaceful protest against the government fled.
If anyone is interested they were taken on my Minox ML 35mm camera.
Lower Sukhumvit (the Bangkok equivalent of Oxford Street or 5th Avenue) was silent, no traffic and fume-free for once.
This soilder was alone guarding nothing but piles of rubbish.
All the equipment from this beauty salon was strewn across the pavement. The beauticians had reported to work dressed in pink uniforms.
With no river taxis the dark boiling waters of the canals were unusually calm and reflective. It seemed to match the mood of the few people who were out trying to make sense of what had just happened.
The remains of Central World - one of the biggest and most modern shopping centers in Bangkok.
