Thai politics has been characterized by shows of popular force ; mass yellow-shirt protests immediately preceded the 2006 coup , and a red-shirt rally that engulfed central Bangkok in 2010 was violently crushed with more than 80 civilians killed and around 2,000 injured . After three consecutive election victories for various Thaksin-backed political parties , the newly formed People 's Democratic Reform Committee , a coalition of yellow-shirt groups that loathe the ruling Pheu Thai party decide to take their fight to the streets of Bangkok . The object of their ire is a proposed amnesty bill aimed to reconcile differences between both groups that would have pardoned Thai politicians Abhisit Vejjajiva , Suthep Thaugsuban over murder charges . However , protesters believe that it could be a backdoor attempt to allow Thaksin Shinawatra to return home after a self-imposed exile without facing a corruption conviction . After opposition from both the Democrat Party and parts of the pro-government Red Shirt movement the bill was rejected unanimously by the Senate of Thailand on 11 November
in 2010
2010 Thai political protests
People's Democratic Reform Committee