Diplomats, academics and international relations experts may spend the week cringing as outgoing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra tours Europe and Asia. Many of them consider the tour, which brings Thaksin into the company of many foreign leaders, to be a crude breach of diplomatic protocol. A caretaker premier, who has at best a dubious popular mandate, should not represent the Kingdom overseas, they point out.

Thai and foreign officials have been confronted with a headache over how to handle the caretaker premier of a lame duck government who insists on paying a series of visits to national leaders in a private capacity.

The criticism of violations of diplomatic protocol, however, means little to Thaksin. His focus has always been on political goals.

Moreover, he realises that diplomats will be diplomatic - at least in public - about his breaches of their protocol. During his five years in power, Thaksin has proved willing to break norms to achieve his aims, even at the Kingdom's expense, and this attitude hardly sits easily with delicate diplomatic procedures.

Some foreign officials in Bangkok say privately that they were uneasy arranging Thaksin's visits to their leaders because he was travelling as a private citizen rather than as a government representative.

Thaksin has been received by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac, and is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Chinese Premier Wen Jia-bao this week. He will meet Filipino President Gloria Arroyo on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon defended his boss, saying that Thaksin's meetings were simply catching up with "old friends".

It is a private trip for the premier who is on leave and has no duties related to international relations to conduct, he said. "The prime minister needs to explain to his foreign friends why he stepped aside and how Thai democracy will move on from the current situation," Kantathi told The Nation.

"There are concerns internationally about the future of Thai democracy as street protests appear able to overrule the people's votes," he added.

Regardless of the reasons for his visit, as no foreign leaders refused his request Thaksin's tour will have a tangible effect in Thailand.

It will provide a propaganda show that will create the impression that he maintains his importance on the world stage.

This illusion suggests the world's leaders remain on good terms with Thaksin and are ready to stand by him during a crisis that bars him from returning to pick up the reins of power.

The foreign trip will give Thaksin the opportunity to force his way into the international limelight.

For example, government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said Thaksin would chair the committee to welcome United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan when he visits Thailand in late May to present an award to His Majesty the King.

Annan has visited the Kingdom a few times over the past few years, but next month's visit is being highlighted by the government to restore some of the Thaksin's prestige.

Thaksin desperately needs to show that he maintains an international presence as his claim to being a regional leader is slipping away and his influence is fading.

It seems he is seeking a little international glamour to distract the country from the reality that he has done little during his five years in office to improve the Kingdom's foreign standing.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation