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Bangkok shutdown: Thai government keeps cool as protesters shut down Bangkok

Bangkok shutdown: A well-funded, well-organized protest movement has returned to the streets of Bangkok, shutting down seven major intersections in Bangkok. While key institutions are still operating, the two-month-long protest movement has disrupted Thailand's economy.

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John Minchillo/AP
Antigovernment protesters rally outside the MBK Center shopping mall in the Pathumwan district, Sunday in Bangkok, Thailand. The protests seem more like déjà vu than the beginning of the end of the regime.

A well-funded, well-organized protest movement has returned to the streets of Bangkok, shutting down seven key intersections in Bangkok with the intention of eventually toppling the Thai government. Key institutions like the central bank have switched to alternative venues away from the protests to keep the gears of the country turning. But there is no doubt the two-month-long protest movement has proven disruptive to the country’s economy.

There are two main ways that our correspondent in Bangkok can see the political paralysis ending: Either the demonstrators create enough unrest to trigger a military intervention into politics, or the patience from Bangkok’s business community runs out on the demonstrators and their movement loses support. With the government very carefully avoiding confrontation and meeting in alternate locations, the demonstrators may have a tough time forcing a change before they outstay their welcome.

“The people in Bangkok whose business rely on Bangkok functioning … have a limited level of tolerance for the city being shut down,” says our correspondent. “After the end of today, there isn’t an overwhelming feeling of ‘This is the beginning of the end.’ In fact, I felt very much like this was déjà vu.... For the rest of the story, continue reading at our new business publication Monitor Frontier Markets.

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