The turnout ranged between 800 and 3,000 people, according to estimates in news reports.

The rally's organisers, who are ex-Thai Rak Thai members, earlier boasted that there could be up to 30,000 people attending, and that they would stay on until the Constitutional Court passes its judgement on the fate of the Thai Rak Thai Party late next month.

With the number falling far short of the expectations, the powers that be now have a clearer picture of the potential of the pro-Thaksin faction and of whether future hisses about organising large demonstrations should be taken seriously or treated as exaggeration.

The protesters loyal to Thaksin must have felt disappointed by the low turnout as well. Friday was a vital indicator of whether the various groups against the government and the military could pose a serious threat to national security by means of turbulent street protests and demonstrations. The bark was proven to be more harmful than the bite, so to speak. It also raised questions about whether the so-called undercurrent elements have actually been as well-funded by politicians of the previous Thaksin administration as speculated.

It has been long perceived that the pro-Thaksin crowd received financial support to organise protest rallies and cause problems for the government and discredit the military junta, the Council for National Security (CNS), which serves as the protector of the Surayud administration.

The previous rally at Sanam Luang drew a larger crowd due to other, non-political events in the area. The high turnout must have led the PTV activists, who were formerly with Thai Rak Thai, to believe that they had enough support for a bigger show of force on Friday, but it failed to materialise.

What was behind the low turnout? The main problem is still the lack of credibility of the PTV activists, who obviously could not come up with fresh ideas and selling points to draw a crowd, especially middle-class and educated people.

Those concerned about their standing and self respect would not want to be perceived as participating for financial inducement following news reports earlier that every person would be paid Bt300 to Bt500 per day if they showed up for the rally at Sanam Luang.

It could also be that the speculation about pro-Thaksin rally organisers spending money to woo a crowd was misplaced and based on rumours, because it would take a tidy sum to attract a large crowd, especially if there were to be many days of protracted protest.

The pro-Thaksin groups also failed again to convince people with good reputation and credibility to join their campaign against the government and the CNS. No academic or public figure expressed support for the rally - in their view, the campaigners have serious image and credibility problems, not to mention character flaws.

Among those who still had some love for Thaksin before Friday's rally should be some who regard such a campaign as a lost cause now that the former premier and his family members are destined to face long and complex legal problems, including claims for back taxes and criminal proceedings.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont also made it explicit that Thaksin has slim chances of returning to Thailand after several months of forced exile because more and more people have come to realise that the goodies disbursed under his populist programmes were just temporary, with no long-lasting benefit.

The prospect of criminal prosecution makes it less tempting for Thaksin to return home, though Surayud said he knew his predecessor well as a tough and tenacious fighter who would not give in easily. Instead the disgraced billionaire would spend his plentiful financial resources to pave a way back to power.

"My message for him is 'Don't come back'", especially now that investigations into wrongdoing during his premiership will soon move towards due legal process, Surayud told a group of senior journalists on Thursday. That message must have also sunk into the minds of many pro-Thaksin people.

Should the government and the military still be worried by the undercurrent movement, which continues to cause jitters in the business community? This point should be assessed realistically rather than getting jumpy whenever the PTV activists hiss about more action and larger protests.

Of course, they should not be taken lightly. Desperate men usually resort to desperate means to get some level of recognition. Thaksin is a die-hard sort of man and so far he has been trying to get even with the military leaders who ousted him from power. Using his big fortune to solicit assistance from American lobbyists has yielded some result so far, but without any impact.

What then could possibly enable him to regain his place in the sun back home? That's not difficult to answer. Premier Surayud must fulfil his promise to shape up or ship out and get non-performing Cabinet members to earn their salaries and plush offices. Failure to do so would be tantamount to laying down a red carpet for Thaksin to return to Government House.

That is indeed a thought to make one shudder.

Sopon Onkgara