The attempt from Jan. 13 to shut down Bangkok orchestrated by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PRDC) led by Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister of the opposition Democrat Party, does not seem to have achieved its immediate objective. Moreover, through soft policing of the demonstrations, the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, limited the kind of violence that the opposition had hoped would provoke a military coup and, thus, thwart the holding of early elections planned for Feb. 2. These elections are being boycotted by a parliamentary opposition that is conscious that, given the popularity of the present government, it would very probably lose again.