ALL'S QUIET IN BANGKOK, FOR NOW

If you read some media reports yesterday you might be forgiven for thinking that Bangkok is once again a city under siege ahead of the February 26 court ruling on Thaksin Shinawatra's US$2.2 billion of frozen assets.
The Thai government's own news agency reported on Tuesday: "Security-concerned agencies have deployed thousands of military and police across the capital ...", and understandably this was picked up by various media outlets both regionally and further afield.
I've not seen anything unusual during the past 48-hours, and certainly no signs so far of any increased security. My daily commute involves passing by where the red-shirt pro-Thaksin supporters were camped out last year, and there were no troops and no signs of any increased activity.
Images of troops on the streets, if and when that happens, will do wonders for Thailand's image overseas, likewise any repeat of the disturbances that happened last April.
We're still 16 days away from the court ruling and a lot can happen between now and then.
In the coming days I've no doubt that many people will be asking what's happening in Bangkok and Thailand.
For the moment Bangkok is quiet (well, as quiet as Bangkok ever is) and calm.