Vulcan

McCos is correct about the lower number of casualties among the military - in the recent fighting the soldiers KNEW they were fighting against some of the armed members of the red and black shirt guards - unlike the night of April 10. I am guessing on the night of the first major clash they may have not even worn their flak jackets as intelligence got it wrong thinking there were no armed protestors, hence the higher number of soldliers killed.

For those that say ALL the civilians were killed by the military during the clashes, you clearly are as biased as those "government supporters" you bash. The more likely scenario is that the civilian deaths were cause by both sides. Do you forgot the actions of the Chiangmai Red Shirts Rak Chiangmai 51 (or something like that) in the recent past killing unarmed yellow shirts - including one who was operating a yellow radio station? The Red Shirt movement is not and will NOT ever be free of violent elements. They may have started out with a just cause, the end does not justify the means.

For those of you who still say that Red Shirt protestors did not use grenades here is a story from my home newspaper regarding an injured Canadian Photojournalist.

A Canadian filmmaker is badly wounded after grenades exploded close to the main protest camp in Thailand's capital of Bangkok Wednesday, as rioting and fires continued throughout the city.

Chandler Vandergrift, a Calgary documentary-maker in his 20s working in Bangkok, suffered injuries to his brain, legs and arms after a M79 grenade exploded less than 70 metres from him, said freelance photographer Nick Nostitz.

"He needed brain surgery. Doctors don't really know yet, but they believe he might be handicapped," he said in an interview with Canwest News Service.

Doctors operated on Vandergrift's brain Wednesday. He's in the Bangkok Christian Hospital. A hospital supervisor told Canwest News Service he is in serious but stable condition and remained in its intensive care unit as of Thursday morning local time.

He is the second Canadian injured in the city in the last week, where demonstrators have turned central Bangkok into a war zone.

Calgary photojournalist Nelson Rand was also seriously wounded Friday after he was struck by three bullets in his leg, abdomen and wrist while reporting on the protests. Vandergrift was good friends with the 34-year-old Rand.

Nostitz, a German photographer who has lived and worked in Bangkok since 1993, said the grenade was thrown by a radical faction of the antigovernment "red shirt" protesters. The grenade was not aimed at the journalists but rather at army officers standing nearby, he said.

"We (the journalists) were there with the army . . . there were also three soldiers badly injured as well," Nostitz said.

The aftermath of the military assault on the "red shirt" camp Wednesday left at least six people dead, including an Italian journalist, Agence France-Presse reported.

Vandergrift has been working on a documentary titled A Land Apart, reporting from Thailand's Red Zone, to "tell the story of oppression and military-invoked violence that has lead to a separatist movement," according to the documentary's synopsis.

"It is a civil war by any standard. In the Muslim-dominated southern region of Thailand, it has killed over 4,000 people since 2004."

Vandergrift graduated in 2006 from the department of Pacific and Asian studies at the University of Victoria and then undertook graduate studies in conflict analysis and management at Royal Roads University, also in Victoria.

Helen Lansdowne, associate director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives at UVic, said Vandergrift was "completely aware" of the risks of working in Thailand.

"He wasn't just after some sort of excitement. He would've been there because he understood the issues and he would've understood the complexities of them," said Lansdowne, who taught Vandergrift a number of courses.

He was "really passionate and very committed" to human rights, she said.

"It saddens me so much that he's been hurt, because he is a great guy and really bright. On the other hand, it doesn't surprise me that he would've been there right in the thick of it," said Lansdowne.

"He would've been out there wanting to take photographs, wanting to capture it on cameras so there would be some sort of historical record of it.

A post on Vandergrift's blog a day before the attack described the scene from the front lines of escalating clashes between military snipers and protesters.

"Sharpened sticks, erratic fireworks, noisy but useless large bamboo-made canons (sic), sling shots, and rocks are trying to fight against snipers hiding behind sandbags and perched on rooftops," he wrote on Tuesday.

"I watched while taking cover from an intense firefight, a black-clad guard assemble an M-16 assault rifle and return fire towards the hi-rise buildings surrounding the red camp.

On Sunday, he wrote on Facebook to his friends and family: "Still safe, thanks for everyone's concern!"

Nostitz, who met Vandergrift in 2006, said he "made the effort" to visit local villages and countryside to understand the political unrest, "unlike most journalist and photographers."

"He was always very interested in Thailand, in the political situation of Thailand," Nostitz said of Vandergrift. "He cared about the situation, about the country and about the problems."

Nostitz, author of the book Red vs. Yellow: Thailand's Crisis of Identity, said he nearly got killed in Thailand last week.

"The experience was a blessing in disguise. It was the most horrible experience I've had in my life, and it made me very, very, very scared," he said. "It's an apocalyptic situation right now in Thailand."

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa "is aware that a Canadian citizen was wounded in Bangkok, Thailand," it said. "Consular assistance is being provided to the subject."

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs updated its travel warning to Bangkok Wednesday and is now advising Canadians against all travel to and within the capital city because of the political demonstrations. The department's website calls the situation in the capital city "very volatile with extreme risk for further civil unrest, violent clashes, and attacks."

"Canada urges calm at this time, and calls on all sides to refrain from engaging in violence and destruction," Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon said in a statement Wednesday. "Canada also calls on the Thai government and protest groups to work together constructively to bring about peace and stability and reinvest in Thailand's democratic institutions and processes."

The Canadian embassy in Bangkok remains closed to the public.

Check the Calgary Herald website for the story.

Also for those red shirt supporters here on the Forum - the reason why fewer Thai soldiers were killed this time was because they were wearing their flak jackets. On April 10, they were not expecting black shirts with grenades, AK47s and sniper rifles, so did not have them on. You should also note that many photos show Thai soldiers carrying shot guns - which is not a standard Thai army weapon. In earlier posts this is the "rubber coated bullets" (well more like rubber coated pellets) weapon bought recently for riot control.

In fire fights - there will be civilian casualties and I am 100% sure that both sides were the cause of many of the deaths. So presuming that the army "massacred" all the innocent civilians is making a false conclusion. I would also say that it is also premature to blame the army on the temple deaths.

pepsi666, do a search for Thai TV7, for their home page. That should get you set up.

I did reply with phone numbers and a link to a home page - but it seems to have been deleted. I guess it is against the forum rules. Do a search for the Miss Tiffany Universe home page. You will find a page with phone numbers where you can book tickets for the contest from the Tiffany theatre in Pattaya.

Tickets are 2000 Baht on the main floor (VIP) or 1000 Baht on the mezzanine level (balcony). I would suggest you bring some binoculars if you get the balcony tickets.

I hope your partner can translate for you, as it can be boring if you don't understand Thai.

The other poster is correct that it will be broadcast on the internet by Thai TV7 as well as live broad cast on their channel on May 7.