I need some help understanding the phrase "เลือดท่วมท้องช้าง" in the following context:

หากปล่อยให้มีการใช้ความรุนแรงปะทะกัน (ในที่ลับหรือที่แจ้งก็ตาม) เลือดจะท่วมท้องช้าง และร้ายไปกว่านั้นก็คือ เลือดที่ท่วมท้องช้างจะไม่นำเราไปสู่อะไรสักอย่างเดียว นอกจากความสูญเสีย

If we allow the use of violence in our conflicts (whether [the violence] is concealed or in the open), ____________________ ;and even worse than that the ______________ will not accomplish anything other than damage and destruction.

(article by Nithi Eewsriwong, Matichon newspaper, September 1, 2008)

Edited September 20, 200817 yr by DavidHouston

Never heard of that one David, presumably it means something like bloodshed นองเลือด as the amount of blood needed to fill an elephant's stomach must be considerable. I often come across idioms in the newspaper that I've never seen and when I ask a Thai friend they often don't know too. Often they're idioms from Chinese folklore and literature. It seems that some columnists like to show off their literary knowledge.

My rule is if the average Thai doesn't know it it's of no use to me.

As a complete aside- it's not worth starting a new thread on, I noticed that the flamboyant Bangkok governor candidate, Ms Leena Jang, spells her first name different when it's her nickname-

ลีนา จังจรรจา becomes ลีน่า จัง