Only a month after the 60th anniversary celebration of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne, Meechai Ruchuphan has become the third top legal expert to jump the troubled ship of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Instead of leaving quietly with good memories of his five-year service under the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) banner, Meechai has thrown a bombshell at the caretaker premier with his allegation that Thaksin was challenging the monarchy with his June 29 remark claiming that a "charismatic figure who has reserved power beyond the Constitution" was attempting to topple him by unconstitutional means.

Meechai's departure is in contrast to those of former Cabinet secretary-general, Borwornsak Uwanno, and deputy PM, Wissanu Krea-ngam.

Both have remained silent about their resignations, despite rumours they were asked by a "charismatic figure" to isolate Thaksin.

Meechai wrote on his personal website that the media, and most people, believe the person who has "reserved power" is His Majesty the King. If Thaksin's remark did not refer to His Majesty, he said, it could refer to highly-respected Privy Council President, General Prem Tinsulanonda, who commands a position close to His Majesty and has reserved power.

Meechai's comments have undermined Thaksin's plan for a general election on October 15 - widely seen as the only way that Thaksin can re-consolidate his grip on power.

Academics, opposition parties and anti-government groups have cried foul over Thaksin's "challenging" remark, while pressuring him to reveal who the person is.

By pulling the "monarchy" into the political morass, Meechai has raised the controversy to a higher level. He accuses Thaksin of violating Article 8 of the Constitution, which prohibits any act that insults the monarchy.

As Thaksin refuses to reveal the name of the person, the issue has become the country's biggest topic of conversation.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) is claiming the "monarchy" factor as a theme for its latest round of anti-Thaksin rallies, which start this Friday (July 14).

PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul earlier asked the Thai people to side with the monarchy and overthrow Thaksin.

Thai Rak Thai, meanwhile, has hit back at Meechai, claiming he exploited his position as a legal adviser to the government to amend two asset laws to benefit his family's business.

Meechai was a government legal adviser, along with Borwornsak and Wissanu, from 2001. He chaired the Legislation Amendment Committee for the National Development Commission, which drafted

bills to support bureaucratic reforms and a plan to reclassify government agencies into 18 ministries.

Meechai suggested to the government in October 2002 that 11 controversial laws enacted to tackle the 1997-98 financial crisis could not be repealed because the move would violate the World Trade Organisation regulations.

This caused outrage among anti-government groups, who claimed the laws violated national sovereignty.

Last year, Meechai advised the Senate Speaker to proceed with the controversial nomination of a new auditor-general for royal approval to replace Jaruvan Maintaka.

This happened amid growing support from academics and political activists for Jaruvan - whose selection to the post was ruled illegal by the Constitution Court - not to quit.

Although Meechai is now discredited by his former government colleagues, the controversy surrounding the "charismatic figure" remark is seen by Thaksin's opponents as a legitimate reason to oust him from power.

Weerayut Chokchaimadon

The Nation