Dr Chaiwat Satha-Anand, the founder and director of the Thai Peace Information Centre, was in Dunedin to present the 2010 Open Public Peace Lecture on the topic of "Overcoming cultural resistance to non-violence", at the University of Otago yesterday.
Violent clashes between authorities and thousands of red-shirted anti-government protesters demanding elections resulted in a state of emergency being declared for the nation's capital earlier this year.
Dr Satha-Anand said the clashes were less about self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and more about the deep political schisms in Thailand.
"We are divided about what kind of political society we want, and the political landscape we dream about."
Those divisions came to a head in April when the largely rural poor from the northeast brought Bangkok to a standstill, much to the dislike of many city residents, he said.
The situation had forced an increasing number of people to take sides and as a result, "we are left with a powder keg".
Despite the tensions, Thailand remained a relatively safe place to visit, when compared with most countries, Dr Satha-Anand said.
