"This is a newfound consciousness of a previously neglected part of Thai society"The once deeply ingrained cultural mores that discouraged displays of anger, that prized politeness and justified the entitlements of the royalty and the elite have been eroded by technology and mobility"The traditional restraints on aggressive and argumentative behavior -- the Buddhist clergy and a once deeply held fear of bad karma, among other factors -- have been weakened-- (March 31, 2010).
This growth in consciousness plus the recent mass activity equals a revolution in both Thailand and Kyrgyzstan. Thousands of protestors fought off the Thai army when the military attempted to evict them from the streets of the occupied "shopping district" -- 21 people were killed before the army retreated.
Now, the leading Thai general is recommending that the main demand of the protestors -- the dissolution of parliament -- be met. The Thai general is not suddenly a pacifist, but worried that his soldiers are not reliable enough to crush demonstrators, and may instead turn their guns on officers or generals. The elite Economist magazine worriedly writes:
"Red-shirt leaders [of the protest movement] have boasted of leaks from allies inside military headquarters. There is even a name for disgruntled, red-leaning soldiers: "watermelons," i.e., green outside, red inside. Four years of political upheaval have left Thailand divided and disoriented. A split in the army should not come as a surprise. It is still, however, frightening." (April 15, 2010).
Revolutions often showcase this unique phenomenon: the military is used to crush protestors until soldiers begin to side with the people. Since the military is the ruling class' watchdog of last resort, its demise marks the crumbling of the existing political-economic system, opening doors for revolutionary struggle.
The people of Kyrgyzstan also overcame a bloody military intervention, with at least 85 killed and hundreds wounded. This bloodshed didn't have the intended effect and those responsible for the killings are being hunted down by the new government, aided by radicalized troops who served the former government.
But the new government of Kyrgyzstan is not the end of the revolutionary struggle. In fact, many of those who lead it belonged to the former discredited government. However, the working class has its own demands, which they will continue to fight for, so the struggle is far from over. For example, two major demands of the revolution are:
1) Closing the U.S. airbase that feeds hundreds of thousands of troops into the Afghanistan war.
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