A woman from the “Salvaging Free Media” group holds a placard during a demonstration at iTV yesterday. The protesters called on iTV to revert to being an independent station, the original reason it was set up.

Charnvit, who spoke at a symposium at Thammasat University on post-Thaksin society and the Shin Corp-Temasek deal, said the airing of His Majesty the King's old message of the May 1992 revolt about national unity by the television pool of Thailand may signal that Thaksin's administration is losing control.

However, Charnvit is worried about possible violence when the anti-Thaksin movement surrounds Government House today.

The fact that more Thai Rak Thai members have deserted the party over the past few days was another sign that the government is going down. "When the ship is sinking, people will jump, one or two at a time. Smart people will abandon ship first," he said.

In the event Thaksin persists, Charnvit and two other speakers said social sanctions through civil disobedience and a boycott of Shin Corp products would have to continue. Charnvit himself had changed his mobile phone from Shin's AIS service to another provider just days ago and urged others to do so.

Former Thai ambassador to Singapore, Asda Jayanama, said in reference to Temasek's controversial buy-out of Shin: "We should do everything to make Temasek realise that their decision was a mistake."

Asda said the claim by the Singaporean government that they could not interfere with Temasek, an investment arm of the Singaporean government, was ludicrous.

"Temasek can't do anything if the [Singaporean] government disapproves," said Asda.Senior Democrat Party member Korbsak Sabhavasu said Thaksin was likely to hold on to power as long as possible because he could not be sure if his Bt73.3 billion from the Temasek deal might be confiscated.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation