Red Shirt Yellow Shirt

Thailand is often thought of in the West as a tropical paradise and a holiday destination, indeed, it is sometimes referred to as 'The Land of Smiles'. In practice however, Thailand – a deeply conservative nation holding its monarchy in great esteem – is a country beset by security problems and very deep internal political divisions.

Between 2005 and 2014 supporters of rival political parties distinguished by their brightly coloured shirts, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD/Yellow Shirts)and the National United Front for Democracy (UDD/Red Shirts), several times took to the streets in huge numbers, paralysing Bangkok for weeks or months. The Red Shirt/Yellow Shirt protests often turned extremely violent with pitched battles fought in the streets against the security forces in a seemingly endless cycle of political corruption, nepotism, disputed elections, mass protest and military coups.