Thai protests a reminder that rifts remain

THE anti government protests that have rocked Bangkok over recent weeks are a stark reminder that despite the relative calm in Thai politics over the last two years, social tensions continue to simmer under the surface and Thai society remains as polarised as ever.

The protests were apparently triggered by a sweeping amnesty bill proposed by the governing Pheu Thai party led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, under which former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (Ms Yingluck's broth…