That Canadian journalist wounded in Thailand

Elizabeth May

That’s what passes the newswires in the rest of Canada.  The injury is mentioned. Nationality.  Little in the way of details.

Here in southern Vancouver Island where Chandler Vandergrift was studying at Royal Roads, where he has many friends, we hear more.

In addition to being a journalist, Chandler was studying conflict resolution and will soon receive his Masters degree in Asian studies.  The news today is very good.  One of his friends told local CBC that Chandler phoned him and is recovering.  He was hit with a grenade and had to have brain surgery.  Amazingly, he phoned his friend in Victoria earlier today and promised to be able to keep him updated on the conflict. 

Through worrying about our one Canadian wounded youth, I have a new appreciation of the brutality of the Thai government’s crackdown.

To get a sense of what Chandler was seeing in the streets, I am including the web site where he posted his photos and blogged.  

Have a look at his work, think about the vastly under-resourced Red Shirt movement and how this wonderful country has so much injustice. 

Let’s hope and pray Chandler is fully recovered soon and able to play the role for which he seems destined in making more of us aware.