Art of War analysis of Thailand crisis

Thailand may be approaching a state of civil war, as protestors and government forces have clashed violently for the last three days. The violence was set off after Major Gen. Khattiya Sawatdiphol, a leader of the "Red Shirt" protestors, was critically wounded by a government sniper on Saturday [he died yesterday in a Buddhist temple -A]. Interestingly, Sawatdiphol's comments to a reporter just before being shot echo Sun Tzu's Art of War. The Major General predicted that soon there would be an out-break of violence (he was right) and that "there will be no rules;" the conflict would be "free form." The Art of War states that it is "best to be formless" and to approach conflict in ways that are both orthodox and unorthodox (no rules). Yesterday announcements were made to protestors that they had a choice of leaving the Red Shirts to avoid continued violence and that children would be in danger. This caution reflects the value of avoiding loss of life advocated in the Art of War. In coming blogs, I'll be keeping on eye on the Thailand conflict through the lens of the Art of War.