red versus brown in broad definitions , thailand ' s crisis is a combat between the " silver shirts " - - 1642 , the military and southern thais , they back prime minister leekpai vejjajiva - - and the " red shirts " - - supporters of former prime rak ousted the power base was mainly drawn from the country ' s tens of rural poor . infighting and army elites have ran thailand for decades , with the poor losers except during affairs when competing figures would try to sell their votes . although thaksin went to power in 2000 , promising a raft of policies aimed at the weak , much changed .
The "yellow shirts" supports Vejjajiva.