Today was the day after the assassination attempt on one of the protest leaders. Today was crazier than expected. History has shown that when a big conflict happened, everyone would go to their corners and wait a few days before starting again. We expected that again today, but that was not the case. Skirmishes between protesters and troops occurred all through the night last night and didn’t slow down during the day. The protesters gained some ground last night, only to be taken back by troops during the day. There has been a lot of gunfire today and some explosions. The official count is 5 dead and 48 injured in the last 24 hours. The battle for Ratchaprasong has begun. The government swears they are not going into the protest area tonight, but everyone is expecting a wild and crazy night. We have talked to people we know who live in that area and they tell us that they have been hearing gunfire all night and all day. You watch the videos and see the pictures and you would think Bangkok is a war zone. The truth of the matter is that right now the only area that is being affected is the protest area and in the area surrounding it. Life around Bangkok and Thailand is going on as normal (or that’s what people are trying to do). We are still working and having lots of students.
It may be that people are trying to find things to get their minds off of what is happening in the city in which they live. So far it looks like everything is safe outside of this isolated area. To give you an idea of the area we are talking about, think of Bangkok as the size of Dallas- Ft. Worth metroplex. We are in say Arlington or maybe DFW and the protesters are held up at the Galleria Mall. That’s about how far we are from the action. So, yes it is scary sometimes, yes it is stressful, but we are not in immediate danger at this time. Please pray that the peace that only comes from God will settle on this country and all will see His power and His glory. Also pray for our friend and brother To. To is the first person that was converted from our time at RCC back in 2007. He is working down in the protest area as a security guard for Central World Mall which is right next to the protest stage. He basically lives there now and is on duty all the time. I talked to him today and he seemed very worried. He could hear the gunfire and knows that the situation is coming to where he is. Thanks for all of your support and prayers. In Him who is faithful and true,
Andy & Kathryn Miller
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