Society is bitterly divided between supporters of the populist government, mostly the rural poor, and the royalist elite who form the mainstay of support for the protesters.
A poll this week by Assumption University in Bangkok mirrored that gulf — half of those questioned supported the PAD and half were against.
Virgoe said police had not acted properly on Tuesday because they were not adequately trained in crisis management or properly equipped.
“Thai security forces just don’t have the range of techniques and the ability to respond to a security challenge in a nuanced and intelligent way. They either do nothing or they over-react. It’s a serious problem,” he said.
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