Thailand situation

If you are as confused about the situation in Thailand as most people, including moi  ...the article below might shed some light on the why of it all. 
I travelled to Thailand many years ago. The cities are dirty, especially Bangkok but the countryside is gorgeous and the people welcoming and friendly.  The best fruits I have ever eaten were in Thailand and the prices were dirt cheap.  Never seen any of those exotic varieties anywhere else.

Euan McKirdy writing at CNN:
....Thailand in crisis  What's happening on the ground and why. 
As the political situation in Thailand worsens with deaths on Bangkok's streets this week, CNN takes a look at the root causes of the protests, and what the latest developments might mean for the country's political future.

Who is protesting and why?
Unlike the 2010 protests, which saw red-shirted supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra turn out in force, this time around it is opponents of his younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra's government who are protesting in the capital.
As with previous protests, the country is largely divided between a younger, educated urban middle-class and a conservative class of poor rural voters, largely from the north of the country. It is the former group who have taken to the streets and are currently battling the police after months of deepening political division.
The protestors, led by Suthep Thaugsuban -- a deputy prime minister in the previous Abhisit Vejjajiva-led government -- rejected YIngluck's poll in early February and are calling for the creation of an unelected "people's council" headed by a premier appointed by Thailand's king.



What triggered the current crisis?
Yingluck's prime ministership was largely stable until her party attempted to pass a controversial amnesty bill in November.
The bill would have nullified former Prime Minister Thaksin's corruption conviction and would have allowed him to return to the country. The policeman-turned-tycoon has been living in exile in a number of different locations, most recently Dubai, since he was removed in a bloodless coup in 2006.
He briefly returned to Thailand in 2008. Later that year, he was convicted by a Thai court of corruption and sentenced in absentia to two years in prison over a controversial land deal. Courts have also frozen billions of dollars of his assets, but he is believed to still have a great deal of money held elsewhere.

What is Thaksin's role in the current crisis?
While he technically plays no part in the current political situation, the deeply-divisive Thaksin is never far from the heart of Thai politics, communicating with supporters via social media and video messages. With his younger sister in power since 2011, his influence remains strong. Critics say Yingluck is Thaksin's proxy but she insists she has always been independent.
The current protests were sparked by attempts by her government to enact the amnesty law that opponents said was designed to protect him and others, facilitating his return to the country -- and ultimately, to an active role in Thai politics.........

What role is the Thai king playing in all this?
Despite the turbulent nature of Thailand's democratic political scene the country is home to the world's longest-serving monarch. Bhumibol Adulyadej, aged 86, is universally revered in Thailand but prefers to remain ostensibly neutral in matters of government, although he called for national unity in his birthday speech in December............