In Thailand, political ideas are fought in the media spotlight - but behind the arresting symbolism and imagery, issues of democracy, welfare, education and human rights are at stake - in a political crisis that is not going to go away.

Thailand: The Politics of Blood

Join the BBC's Asia correspondent, Alastair Leithead, and author and historian Chris Baker, for an insight into the colour coded protests and political problems facing Thailand.

Perspective: The Politics of Blood

In Thailand, the international media is the battleground for political ideas. Protests have become increasingly dramatic and well organised. In October 2008, Red-shirts, in their thousands, donated their own blood and poured it on the walls and under the gates of Government House while Yellow-shirted protesters staged a sit - in at Bangkok airport stranding thousands of tourists and bringing Thailand’s political turmoil to television screens around the world. But behind the arresting symbolism of these protests, issues of democracy, welfare, education and human rights are at stake, in a political crisis that is not going to go away.

This story doesn&#39;t seem to fit the events of the recent protests.  Media continues to take the side of the underdog along with half of the facts just to make a story worth reporting. This story follows that line of thinking. Having been in Bangkok for these events I can say that the red shirts were not involved in innocent protests. They completely fooled the media to their cause. Although this is not difficult to do, it may have disastrous results for Thailand in the future. This conflict would have been squashed with a much more brutal effect from most any other government.

Media gone wrong

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