Not So Happy New Year

So my friends from Seattle and I had all these plans to go out last night and see Bangkok’s New Year’s Celebrations. We were supposed to start out with a small get together at their hotel and then head out to Central World Plaza (where Bangkok Elle Fashion Week took place) where a beer garden, live concerts and a countdown were scheduled to take place. Then, we were supposed to head over to Sanam Luang and see the fireworks over Wat Phra Kaew and the Chao Phraya River. Of course, all that was foiled by the fact that at around 18:00 (GMT + 7), the first of a series of bombs exploded near a bus depot near Victory Monument on Phayathai Rd only a few kilometers from where I live.

I was just getting into a taxi with my friends Rocky and Michael, who are staying with me and also visiting from Seattle) when I got a call from my friend Tyler, whom we were on our way to meet. Gosh, I thought. I’m only 5 minutes late, what could he want?

Then he told me about the explosion and that I should be careful. At the time, I was none the wiser, but once we found a taxi and got in, the driver mumbled something after I told him where we were going and he appeared to be a little anxious. Instead of the usual Thai country music from Isaan playing over the radio, I found myself listening to something like talk radio. I tuned in with my limited Thai and was able to pick out bits and pieces of what was going on.

The serious tone of the conversation that was coming across the airwaves was enough to let me know that there was fear and uncertainty regarding the whole situation. They detailed a number of places where at least three more bombs had gone off since the first one at Victory Monument about 30 minutes prior. They then went into a discussion about the closing times of various malls. I couldn’t quite figure out why they were talking about mall hours. Once I got to Tyler’s hotel room, I read the breaking news on CNN.com from the webpage he had already pulled up.

What I found out was that just as malls tend to stay open later during the Christmas season at home, they stay open later in the days leading up to New Year’s Day in Thailand. However, given the situation, all of the malls were closing early. Also, the Bangkok municipal government was ordering the cancellation of all public celebrations over concerns that there would be more explosions before the night was over. Of course, this included the cancellation of the festivities at Central World, where my friends and I had planned on going to earlier in the day. It’s a good thing too, because at about 22:00, two more bombs went off at Central World Plaza. Before the night was over, there were a total of 8 explosions and a ninth bomb that was apparently a dud. I got a series of phone calls from friends in Bangkok, including one of my Fulbright friends, who was in town from Northeastern Thailand for NYE, telling me to be careful. I also got a call from Jackie, one of my Thai teachers at the AUA whose wedding I had attended only a few days earlier.

This morning, I got a call from the executive director at TUSEF (Fulbright Thailand) checking in on me to make sure that all was well. She reiterated the information I had been receiving via email from the US Embassy in Bangkok insofar as the local authorities still do not know who is responsible for these explosions. Early speculations point to either Southern Muslim insurgents or possibly to the supporters of ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra. Needless to say, it put a little bit of a damper on the evenings festivities, but we decided to play it safe and spent a fairly relaxed evening indoors instead.