The Globe's East Asia correspondent, Mark MacKinnon, has been sending live Twitter updates from the streets of Bangkok for the past week. With just 140 characters and a few photos snapped on his phone, he's relayed a fascinating perspective of Thailand's political upheaval.
Note: Twitter update timestamps reflect local time in Bangkok
April 17
• 10:38 a.m: Three more Bangkok malls shut by Red Shirt protest. Hyatt Erawan closed too RT @RichardBarrow SIAM PARAGON/SIAM CENTER/SIAM DISCOVERY closed
• 10:39 a.m: Thumping rain in Bangkok this morning has sent many Red Shirts running for cover. Protest site emptiest its been in days.
• 12:24 p.m: Bangkok Post: Thailand future "precarious." Thaksin party a threat to "revered institution," civil war possible: http://tinyurl.com/y2ydxkq
• 7:23 p.m: The waiter in the Japanese restaurant I'm in just blamed the lack of tuna on the Red Shirts. Thaksin, what have you done??
April 18:
• 10:16 a.m: Red Shirt leaders claim part of army would defend Reds if new crackdown. "Tanks would fire at one another."
• 12:51 p.m: Thai Red Shirt protestors plan move to Silom banking district, military says will block them. Silom "out of bounds."
• 4:48 p.m: Thailand "Red Shirts" plan mass rally Tuesday, call on supporters to withdraw savings from "symbol of the aristocrats" Bangkok Bank.
• 5:56 p.m: Thailand: Pro-government "Yellow Shirts" give military one week to end Red Shirt protests or will act "to preserve the nation and monarchy"
• 5:59 p.m: Thai army vows to block Red Shirts if they try to move protest to Silom financial district: http://tinyurl.com/y7npxy6
April 19
• 10:16 a.m: Thailand: Red Shirt leaders back away from clash with military, cancel plans to expand protest to Silom Road financial district.
• 12:57 p.m: Shoppers, Yellow Shirts and soldiers in riot gear mingling on Silom Road. Bizarre. Half of Bangkok still acting like place not falling apart
• 1:01 p.m: Army Humvee parked where the food inspector's car should be in front of KFC on Silom Road.
• 1:24 p.m: Shopping among the soldiers on Silom Road, Bangkok
• 2:04 p.m: Barbed wire, soldiers on Silom Road, Bangkok
• 2:23 p.m: Also popular outcry to suspend Haibao, the suspicously Gumby-like mascot RT @BreakingNews: Shanghai Expo theme song on plagiarism "hiatus"
• 2:33 p.m: Red Shirts, not police, control Chitlom BTS station over demo site
• 7:58 p.m: Uh-oh. Intercontinental Hotel in centre of Red Shirt protests in Bangkok closing its doors, citing troop movements.
• 10:05 p.m: Sigh. Terrorists, terrorists, terrorists. I moved out of the Middle East to escape the word, now everyone in Thailand is using it.
April 20
• 10:22 a.m: is being evicted from my second hotel this week. You'd think I was throwing TVs out the window.
• 10:32 a.m: Red Shirts have erected black tarp over main stage area in central Bangkok. Will obscure both the sun and the view of anyone spying above.
• 11:59 a.m: Death toll from Qinghai earthquake now over 2,000. Another 200 still missing.
• 4:27 p.m: Mood still tense, Red Shirts on motorbikes patrolling beyond usual protest camp borders, some carrying bamboo poles.
• 10:05 p.m: Amnesty International: "All sides in Thailand's widening political conflict should immediately commit to ending human rights abuses."
• 10:05 p.m: Amnesty "urges [Thai government]to provide accountability for any violations by security forces as well as abuses by violent protesters."
April 21
• 10:21 a.m:Thailand's Red Shirts preparing for new army move, building tire barriers at all six entrances to their central Bangkok protest site.
• 5:22 p.m: As both sides talk war, there are scattered reports that negotiations are finally taking place... #thailand
• 7:23 p.m: Extremely tense now at Silom front line. Hundreds of Yellows chanting "get out!" at Reds from behind line of soldiers.
• 7:24 p.m: Tuk-tuk backfired near front line between army, Reds, and everyone ducked. #thailand
• 7:30 p.m: Pro-government demonstrators chant "Get out" at Reds from behind line of soldiers #thailand
• 8:40 p.m: The Red Shirts' impressive bamboo fort at top of Silom Road
• 8:32 p.m: Red Shirts have expanded positions north of Lumphini Park. Checking IDs of drivers before allowing them to pass. #thailand
• 8:33 p.m: As army defends Silom financial district, Reds slowly taking over other parts of Bangkok beyond long-time camp.
• 8:35 p.m: Red Shirt guards check cars on road north of Lumphini Park Twitpic
• 8:58 p.m: Police have moved in to break up clashes between Red Shirts and local residents near Silom intersection. Tense. #thailand
• 11:23 p.m: Helicopters in sky over Bangkok. Several loud bangs heard. Fireworks or flares.
• 11:34 p.m: Orange flares all over the sky as helicopter buzzes over Bangkok Red Shirt protests.
April 22
• 3:12 a.m: Anyone thinking about upsides, downsides of Twitter shld check #thailand tag. Up-to-the-second updates blended with vitriolic hate speech.
• 11:54 a.m: Several thousand Red Shirts marching today to United Nations office in Bangkok to request presence of peacekeeping force.
• 12:25 p.m: How charged is the rhetoric in Thailand? Government says Red leader Thaksin akin to Hitler and Stalin. Reds say PM Abhisit like Pol Pot.
April 23
• 7:24 p.m: Scene at Sala Daeng intersection more relaxed than yesterday. Pro-govt crowd is bigger, but police doing better job of keeping sides apart.
• 7:27 p.m: Police have parked five large trucks across intersection, which should prevent easy restarting of last night's clashes. #thailand
• 7:34 p.m: Yep, real-live Yellow Shirts have joined the crowd on Silom Road. Mood more festive here than at Red rally, but of course Reds on Day 41...
• 7:35 p.m: Army deployed to Silom to keep district's businesses from suffering fate of Rajprasong. But stores shutting down here anyway...
• 7:48 p.m: Pro-government rally on Silom Road, Bangkok:
• 7:52 p.m: Line of riot police keeps Red, Yellow demonstrators apart in Bangkok:
• 7:53 p.m:Thai police with riot shields, batons gather at Bangkok's Dusit Thani hotel:
• 8:22 p.m: Two explosions heard in Bangkok's business district; at least one person wounded, Reuters reporting.
• 8:23 p.m: Was there and heard blasts. Thought little of them. #toomuchtimeinwarzones
• 8:28 p.m: What I saw/heard were fireworks fired from Red side over police barricade. Not M79s, as some reporting.
• 9:09 p.m: Red Shirt field hospital:
• 9:19 p.m: Situation tense on Red side of barricade after mystery explosions. Reds leaving 40 metre gap behind wall of bamboo and tires. Plan to light?
• 9:22 p.m: Reds bracing:
• 9:23 p.m: Reds, all men, with bamboo poles, gather behind barricade:
• 10:30 p.m: Helicopters flying over Red Shirt protest site, Reds target them with jeers, fireworks.
• 10:31 p.m: Man beside me with club assuring me it's still safe to travel in his hometown. "No trouble! just relax! Welcome!"
• 10:38 p.m: pro-govt supporters now thowing rocks, bottles over barricade. Reds respond with firework into crowd. police caught in middle...
• 10:44 p.m: series of small blasts at Silom intersection. police still holding back
• 10:44 p.m: police now withdrawing with shields raised. leave field open for street fight between yellow, red
• 11:02 p.m: Police withdrawing further away from ongoing clash. Handful of pro-govt types tossing bottles and rocks over. Reds replying with firecracker
• 11:12 p.m: Two tourists pulling rolling suitcases just ran through centre of Bangkok street fight.
• 11:12 p.m: The Thai police seem without orders other than to raise shields:
• 11:16 p.m: street fight escalating. police unit I'm with retreating a block.
• 11:20 p.m: Men in motorcycle helmets advance toward Red barricade hurl projectiles over. Amazingly no effort by police to intervene.
• 11:29 p.m:Thai police hiding under overpass (with me) as fighting escalates
• 11:30 p.m: Two louder explosions near front line. Police reinforcements arrive to cheers... only shields, clubs.
• 11:35 p.m:Thai police reinforcements arrive
• 11:38 p.m: riot cops finally moving in between two sides.
• 11:39 p.m: Reds cheering (Bronx cheer?) as riot cops move in
• 11:39 p.m: Great time to shop in Bangkok (see 90% off sign behind riot cops)
• 11:42 p.m: Riot police moving down Silom driving back pro-govt rioters. Reds playing music and dancing. If this the end, a victory for them.
• 11:46 p.m: Several ppl arrested as Thai riot police advance down Silom
• 11:51 p.m: Silom Road, Bangkok, during pause (?) in rioting:
• 11:58 p.m: Thai police making arrests on Yellow side of clash. Red rally continues about
• 12:02 a.m: The level of hate in Thailand:
• 12:03 a.m: Blood on Bangkok's streets:
• 12:07 a.m: More aftermath. Sit tense, but calm now. Will crackdown follow?
• 12:08 a.m: If it was this easy to end the fighting, the question needs to be asked why it wasn't done hours ago...
• 12:10 a.m: Thailand in 2010, in one photo:
• 12:14 a.m: Yellows on Twitter talking of arming themselves because of government "weakness" in facing Red Shirts.
• 12:16 a.m: Reds bamboo fortress unbreached despite clashes:
• 12:44 a.m: Battle of Silom Road over for now.Question is what next? Helicopters in the air now, Reds appear to be targeting them with fireworks...