Relax! It's Personal, Not Political!

If you found an object you suspected might be a bomb, would you call the police and have them take it away or would you put it in a garbage can and forget about it? A shopkeeper in Bangkok chose the latter option and the result was several other people found what appeared to be a perfectly usable mobile phone which then blew to bits and left them injured.

Later that same day a less sophisticated explosive device, which one paper described as "made with knotted rope and nails" and another dismissed as "a giant firecracker" went off in another part of town and "damaged two cars and a nearby building." I'm no expert but I would say that was one hell of a firecracker.

But tourists and would-be tourists have no reason to worry--police have declared these disturbances are the result of "personal conflicts," not civil unrest. I'm sure the two teenage girls and the middle-aged man who were injured by the exploding phone will be happy to hear that--god knows I will sleep much better after this diagnosis.

So no problem--all is just fine. Yes, there are still bombs in Bangkok, but it's not a matter of Red versus Yellow. It's just neighborliness gone wrong--happens everywhere right? Even in the Land of Smiles.

Oops! A change of heart and opinion was reported in this morning's news--an explosion near a mom-and-pop grocery? Personal conflict. An explosion that damaged cars and a nearby building? Personal conflict. A bomb goes off in front of the Royal Turf Club? Nothing personal, bring on the demolition experts! http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/198319/police-offer-b100000-for-info-on-bombings