Thailand's capital Bangkok is in chaos after Seh Daeng, the leader of passionate anti-government protests, was shot in the head during an interview with a New York Times reporter. Daeng, a Thai general who broke ranks to join the "Red Shirts" protest in January, represented more than 10,000 "Red Shirt" protestors who have barricaded themselves in a Bangkok shopping mall for two months, calling for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government to resign. The London Times calls Daeng, who models himself after Mel Gibson's Braveheart, "one of the most colorful but mysterious figures in the ongoing Thai crisis, a living example of the contradictions which make it so difficult to resolve or understand." Daeng's shooting, which was not fatal, could have two outcomes, says Julia Bodeeb at Associated Content. It will either "cause more upheaval, or it could cause the Red Shirt movement to become more unfocused." Watch an ITN report on the shooting:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Codeword: September 17, 2024The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
The UK's nuclear waste problemUnder The Radar Safety concerns as 'highly radioactive' material could be buried in the English countryside
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attemptSpeed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPBSpeed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
