With Thais so dangerously divided, reconciliation won't come overnight
Things seem to be going in ironic parallel at the moment. Reconcilation talks are taking place against a backdrop of government press conferences showcasing an alarming amount of war weapons allegedly seized from red-shirted militants last week. Bangkok's "Big Clean-up" campaign yesterday was meant to display a never-say-die spirit of harmony, but the more "unity" shown by some, the more "bitterness" the others will feel. Nothing that one person does, it seems, can fail to anger or insult others. Thais are not just divided. We have become acrimoniously divided.
The fires have been damped down and the red shirts have gone home. Sounds of bomb explosions and gunshots have been replaced by volunteers on loudspeakers. A gutted CentralWorld yesterday was witness to a rare show of Bangkokians' togetherness. Teenagers brought soft drinks to serve the other samaritans. Foreigners joined in. Tweetphotos were shared. Not everyone was smiling working near what used to be their favourite shopping mall or cinema, now no more, but it was still the first feel-good day for city residents in quite a long time.
Just a few days ago the area was occupied by another group, feeling upbeat and defiant, if not good, at the expense of the people who went to Rajprasong yesterday with brooms and water buckets. Some in that group had come believing sincerely that they could help "clean up" Thai politics, but things were far more complicated than they thought, and the rest is history. They came with pure hearts, but not everyone at Rajprasong was like them. Those innocent protesters have returned home, perhaps not feeling as pure as when they first arrived. People they knew have died, or been arrested, or fled underground. The red-shirted movement may have lost its first-generation leadership, but new leaders will certainly present themselves and new plans are already being mooted. As early as next month, the reds may return to the city. In what manner, though, remains to be seen.
Amid the rebuilding work, everyone knows that nothing will be the same. Even Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva knows it. In a statement eerily similar to arch-rival Thaksin Shinawatra's, Abhisit admitted yesterday that his family did not want him to be in politics. And, for the first time, the prime minister acknowledged that his life is unlikely to return to normal, at least for a long, long time.
For him, as well as for the entire country, reconciliation is a race against time. The wounded red shirts have gone home and the anger and resentment may spread faster than the blazes that destroyed CentralWorld, Centre One and Siam Theatre. Abhisit or the government alone will never be able to achieve reunification on their own, not least because, rightly or wrongly, the red shirts perceive them as the reason why they had to come to Bangkok.
It's a daunting task for everyone. The debris could be hauled away and garbage all collected overnight. The wounds, however, are fresh and the scars will be huge and almost indelible. To many people, it's unreal to talk about how to re-unify Thais at this point of time. More practical, and perhaps the best we can do, is to find a way for dangerously divided Thais to learn to co-exist peacefully. We have learned the hardest way the consequences of failing to draw the line, of not knowing how far we should go to get what we want. Instead of aiming high and shooting low, everyone tried to win at all costs with no regard to the possible damage his action could inflict on the country.
Have we seen the worst? Hopefully. But then again, we thought the lowest points were April 10 and, later, the grenade attack on Silom. We had thought that after the Songkran turmoil of last year, there was no way to go but up. Sadly, we have learned how destructive we can be, how much we can hate fellow Thais and what political gullibility on either side can lead to. How what we've learned can help is the most crucial thing, and we don't have too much time to really make use of it.