Caretaker Prime Minis-ter Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday cancelled his plan to attend the World Cup final in Germany amid growing pressure on him to identify the "charismatic figure beyond the Constitution" he claimed was attempting to oust him from power.

Although Thaksin has remained silent over the issue, other key figures in his Thai Rak Thai Party yesterday urged all parties to stop any attempts to involve His Majesty the King in the controversy.

"Germany is out of the competition, so I'd better not go [to the World Cup final]," Thaksin said, adding he would spend the upcoming four-day weekend in Thailand instead.

A source close to the Thai Rak Thai said Thaksin cancelled the trip because a growing number of people and social groups were furious with his contentious but unclear comment last Thursday about the mysterious "charismatic person", who many feel could refer to a figure highly revered by the entire nation. Thaksin was said to have opted not to go abroad to prepare for any "unexpected incidents" resulting from mounting anger.

News broke last week that Thaksin would attend the final World Cup final in Berlin. He said afterwards that the trip would provide him with a good opportunity to meet with some European leaders going to watch the match.

Legal expert and former Senate speaker Meechai Ruchuphan warned on Tuesday that Thaksin could be seen as violating Article 8 of the Constitution with his June 29 remark. Thaksin told a gathering of senior bureaucrats that somebody who had reserved power beyond the Constitution was undermining the democratic system with a plot to topple him.

In an article headed "The Responsibility of the Prime Minister" on his website (www.meechaithailand.com), Meechai said the media and most people believe the person who has "reserved power" and is most beloved by Thais is His Majesty the King.

Article 8 states: "The King shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated. No person shall expose the King to any sort of accusation or action."

Caretaker Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, who is a deputy Thai Rak Thai leader, yesterday appealed to Thaksin's opponents to stop confusing the public by involving the monarchy in the dispute.

"We all know that the prime minister did not refer to His Majesty," she said.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) should stop framing Thaksin and Thai Rak Thai by exploiting His Majesty's position to attain its political goals, she said.

"We, Thai Rak Thai, have been patient with the situation for so long. But the PAD still insults His Majesty," Sudarat said. "We want to announce that we will protect the monarchy with our lives."

Government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee yesterday dismissed Meechai's warning that Thaksin could be seen to have violated Article 8 of the Constitution.

Thaksin mentioned the "figure" only to remind every Thai citizen that all the parties had to respect democratic rules, he said. Whoever attempted to violate them should stop it.

"Thaksin made a clear message that the figure wanted to become a royally sponsored prime minister under the Constitution's Article 7. So, it is clear that the figure is an ordinary person," Surapong said.

However, the government had no clear evidence to identify whom the person was, so Thaksin told the officials they should do their jobs as usual and not be afraid of the person, he said.

Meanwhile, outgoing Senator Wallop Tangkananurak yesterday joined calls for Thaksin to reveal who the figure attempting to topple the government is, otherwise the situation would worsen beyond control, which could lead to confrontation.

"The worst scenario is that it will pave the way for a military coup, which many people think it is the best solution," he said.