The Thai Rak Thai Party is under scrutiny for allegedly hiring small parties to field candidates in the April elections. The severest punishment would be its dissolution.

As the moment of truth for the ruling party is near after the Election Commission passed a report that found it guilty to the Attorney-General's Office, all eyes have turned to deputy TRT leader Thamarak Isarangura, allegedly the master of the hiring.

Political pundits predict that Thamarak might eventually sacrifice himself by admitting he did the evil deed himself, without the party's acknowledgement, in order to shield the party from the punishment.

He is said even to be considering resigning from the party to widen the distance between it and himself and so lessen the chance of its dissolution.

Thamarak, 68, co-founded the party in July 1998 along with Thaksin Shinawatra shortly after he retired from the Army. He was appointed to head the party's election campaigns in northeastern provinces.

By winning 69 of 138 northeastern constituencies, Thamarak led newcomer Thai Rak Thai in defeating the Democrats, Chat Thai, the now defunct Chat Pattana and the defunct New Aspiration Party, which strengthened his position in Thai Rak Thai.

Thamarak assumed the post of PM's Office minister soon after Thai Rak Thai formed a coalition government in early 2001. With a determined and outspoken personality, Thamarak became a key player for Thai Rak Thai in countering its fierce rivals the Democrats over controversial issues.

Shortly after the Thai Rak Thai government launched a bureaucratic reform in 2002, Thaksin appointed Thamarak defence minister, replacing veteran General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh. This showed that Thamarak had already become a key person in the party.

Thamarak led the government's war on drugs, which was attacked by opposition parties, which claimed that some suspects were killed without interrogation. He became deputy PM in March 2004 and returned to the defence ministry in March 2005.

Before the 2005 general poll, Newin Chidchob moved to Thai Rak Thai with the brief of taking over Thamarak's tasks in some northeastern provinces, particularly Buri Ram, Si Sa Ket and Surin. Thamarak was disappointed with Newin's advent as they had fought for the constituencies when Newin was a key member of the Chat Thai Party. The rift between them has broadened since.

Apart from Newin, Thamarak was in dispute with another former deputy Thai Rak Thai leader, Suwit Khunkitti, who asked people in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen to vote for a brother of his wife who was standing for the Social Action Party, instead of for the Thai Rak Thai contender.

Thamarak vowed to axe all "traitors" who backed relatives running for other parties. He forced the traitors to write advance letters of resignation which would be effective if their relatives won the seats.

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

The Nation