[Seth]

I had an acquaintence over a few days ago that was in Bangkok during the redshirt standoff. Crazy stories but he was right in the middle of it. They took over some military tanks and that night over 800 people were shot. After that they took it to victory monument and the military easily cleaned up.
One more piece of advice, if there is a civilian uprising, whether or not justified, go shopping at MBK mall or something instead of throwing tear gas canisters back at the military lines.

Thailand really isnèt that scary unless the prospect of huge disparities in standards of living gives you the worry fury. There is a lot of hatred towards americans, and the west, but itès mostly offset by the fact that they depend on tourism. The manufacturing outsourced to thailand is something theyère pissed about as well because corporations sign 2 year tax free deals and then bail once the contract is up. Reverse Osmosis is your friend.