Thailand's foreign minister, Tej Bun-nag, has been trying to reassure the world that the chaotic scenes it has been seeing on its television screens from Bangkok are just "part of Thailand's political evolution and the democratic process". This Panglossian view became harder to sustain after violent clashes between government supporters and opponents on September 2nd, which prompted Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, to declare a state of emergency in the capital. One pro-government demonstrator died and dozens from both sides were hurt. Mr Tej himself has resigned. The reasons are unclear, but it hardly helps the stability of Mr Samak's government, especially since Mr Tej advises the revered monarchy.
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